Cell Region Extraction in Morphological Image Processing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies face challenges in accurately extracting cell regions from cell morphological images due to issues like darkly dyed tissue slices, cell compression, overlapping cells, and center blurring, leading to incomplete or erroneous cell region detection.
Innovation Solution
An image processing apparatus and method that includes a display control unit, acquiring unit, input unit, adding unit, and correcting unit to display and correct cell morphological images by adding display elements that specify cell regions, allowing users to easily identify and separate overlapping areas based on occupation ratios, thereby enhancing the accuracy of cell region extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automatic image processing is used to extract cell regions, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to overlapping cells and darkly dyed tissue slices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cell region extraction process into multiple stages: initial automatic extraction by the acquiring unit, user verification and supplementation via the input unit, and refinement through the correcting unit. This segmented approach allows automatic processing to handle routine cases while human expertise corrects difficult cases, resolving the contradiction between productivity and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where the display control unit shows extracted cell regions to users, who can provide correction input through the input unit. The correcting unit then uses this feedback to refine the extraction results. This feedback mechanism enables the system to learn from and correct automatic processing errors, improving measurement precision while maintaining productivity.
2Device complexity
If conventional image processing methods are used, then device complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to inability to handle overlapping cells and darkly dyed slices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges automatic image processing capabilities with human expert review and correction functions into a unified system. The acquiring unit, input unit, display control unit, and correcting unit work together as an integrated system that combines the speed of automation with the precision of human judgment, achieving high manufacturing precision without excessive device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The display control unit serves as an intermediary between the automatic processing system and the user. It presents extracted cell regions for review and allows users to provide correction input, which is then processed by the correcting unit. This intermediary interface enables accurate correction of extraction errors while maintaining system simplicity.
3Measurement precision
If user manual correction is allowed, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to additional correction steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial correction by the correcting unit, focusing only on regions where the acquiring unit's extraction is uncertain or incorrect. Rather than requiring complete manual review of all cell regions, the system intelligently targets correction efforts where they are most needed, reducing time loss while maintaining measurement precision.
4Loss of time
If automatic extraction without user input is used, then loss of time is reduced, but measurement precision deteriorates due to erroneous detection in difficult cases
Solution Approach 1:
The acquiring unit performs preliminary automatic extraction of cell regions before user review. This preliminary action handles the majority of extraction tasks automatically, minimizing time loss. The input unit and correcting unit then perform supplementary actions only where needed, improving measurement precision for difficult cases without significantly increasing overall processing time.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a technology for more easily and accurately extracting overall cell regions from a cell morphological image. To achieve the object, first, an acquiring unit acquires a region-identifiable image for identifying a first cell region occupied by a specific portion of a cell in the cell morphological image capturing a shape of the cell using a first display element. Then, an adding unit adds, to the region-identifiable image, a second display element that identifies at least an outline portion of a second cell region occupied by a specific portion different from the first cell region in the cell morphological image depending on a predetermined signal set in advance and input in response to a user's operation. In addition, a correcting unit corrects the region-identifiable image such that the display element that identifies the first cell region is displayed on the display unit for at least a part of the overlapping area where the first and second cell regions overlap each other.