Cell Motility Detection Using Defocused Image Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for observing cells or microbes, especially when they are deviated from the focal plane, result in defocused images that are not recognized, leading to ignored information and prolonged analysis times for motility evaluation.
Innovation Solution
An observation device with an optical system, drive mechanism, control unit, and image processing unit that can identify and separate in-focus and out-of-focus regions of cells/microbes, allowing for quantitative evaluation even when cells/microbes are not clearly recognized.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If a fixed focal plane is used for image capture, then the observation method is simple and fast, but cells/microbes deviated from the focal plane cannot be detected leading to loss of information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image into in-focus and out-of-focus regions using image processing. By dividing the image data into different depth layers, the system can separately analyze cells at different focal planes, thereby recovering information that would otherwise be lost from defocused regions while maintaining a relatively simple optical setup.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the observation from a single two-dimensional focal plane to three-dimensional space by capturing and processing images at multiple depth layers. This dimensional extension allows detection of cells/microbes at various distances from the focal plane, recovering information that would be lost in traditional single-plane observation.
2Measurement precision
If multiple images are captured to generate moving images for motility evaluation, then the motility can be accurately evaluated, but the analysis time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments image data into in-focus and out-of-focus regions, allowing motility evaluation to be performed on segmented cell populations. This segmentation enables more efficient analysis by focusing computational resources on relevant regions, reducing overall analysis time while maintaining evaluation accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary segmentation and classification of cells into in-focus and out-of-focus groups before motility analysis. By pre-processing the image data to identify and separate different depth layers, the system reduces the computational burden during subsequent motility evaluation, thereby reducing analysis time without compromising measurement precision.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the detection of positional changes and motility evaluation of cells/microbes from a single image capture, reducing analysis time and utilizing previously ignored information from defocused regions.
Implementation Method 1
a light scattering method of analyzing the scattering of the light
Implementation Method 2
The attenuation of the transmitted light is measured
Data Source
AI summary
In the present invention, information is analyzed, the positional relationship of cells/microbes in the optical axis direction is detected, and motility of cells/microbes is evaluated even in an out-of-focus view from an image obtained by a single image capture in an observation view of the cells/microbes. The present invention is provided with an optical system used to measure microparticles present in a sample liquid in a sample container, a drive mechanism for driving the sample container and/or a portion of the optical system in order to three-dimensionally search a bottom surface of the sample container, a control unit for controlling the optical system or the drive mechanism, an image processing unit for dividing an image of microparticles in the sample container at a first time and a second time into an in-focus region and an out-of-focus region and acquiring information relating to the microparticles, and a display unit for displaying the information relating to the microparticles as information representing a temporal change between the first time and the second time.