Culture Device Time-Lapse Imaging With Cell-Selective Recording
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing culture devices with time-lapse shooting functions record unnecessary images of wells without embryos, leading to inefficient use of recording media and decreased evaluation efficiency due to the display of unnecessary images.
Innovation Solution
A culture device with a detection mechanism to identify the presence of cells in each well and record only those images, incorporating a detection means to analyze images for cell presence and a recording means to store only detected cell images, along with a notification and history recording system to manage cell presence/absence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If time-lapse shooting is performed in all wells in a predetermined cycle, then complete monitoring is achieved, but recording medium usage increases and storage becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary image data from the recording process. By detecting which wells contain embryos and which do not, the system selectively records only images from wells with embryos, eliminating waste of recording medium on empty wells while maintaining complete monitoring of all occupied wells
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through detection means that continuously monitor well contents and provide information about embryo presence/absence. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of recording activities, ensuring images are captured only when necessary (when embryos are present) while maintaining reliable monitoring coverage
2Reliability
If all well images are recorded and stored, then no data is missed, but evaluation efficiency decreases due to unnecessary images
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts unnecessary evaluation objects from the dataset by detecting and identifying wells containing embryos. The evaluation process then focuses exclusively on these relevant wells, removing empty well images from the evaluation workflow and thereby maintaining data completeness for all occupied wells while significantly improving evaluation efficiency
3Ease of operation
If embryos are temporarily removed from specified wells for observation or medium exchange, then necessary operations are performed, but recording medium usage increases due to recording empty wells
Solution Approach 1:
The detection means provides real-time feedback about embryo presence in each well. When embryos are temporarily removed for operations, the detection system identifies these empty wells and prevents recording of their images, thereby maintaining operational flexibility while avoiding waste of recording medium on wells that are temporarily or permanently empty
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a culture device and method capable of automatically recording only one or more wells in which a cell exists within a culture container. Provided is a culture device having a time-lapse shooting function of performing time-lapse shooting, wherein a cell is placed to be cultivated in each well of a culture container including at least one or more wells. The culture device comprises: a shooting means shooting an image of each well of the culture container in a predetermined time-lapse shooting cycle; a detection means detecting presence/absence of a cell within each well of the culture container; and an image recording means recording an image of a well wherein the presence of the cell is detected by the detection means among images of each well shot by the shooting means.