IMMUNOCHROMATOGRAPHIC ASSAY METHOD AND APPARATUS
First Claim
1. An immunochromatographic assay method for performing an assay related to a specimen by reacting a reagent held by a carrier and the specimen with each other, and by obtaining an image signal by imaging a reagent portion that has been reacted, and by measuring, based on the image signal, the color-developed state of the reagent caused by the reaction,the method comprising:
- applying a morphological opening operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is less than or equal to a signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color;
applying a morphological opening operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is larger than the signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color;
obtaining a difference signal by performing a subtraction between the image signals to which the opening operations have been applied respectively; and
measuring the color-developed state based on the difference signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In an immunochromatographic assay method for performing an assay related to a specimen by reacting a reagent held by a carrier and the specimen with each other, and by obtaining an image signal by imaging a reagent portion by a camera, and by measuring, based on the image signal, the color-developed state of the reagent, a morphological opening-operation is applied to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is less than or equal to a signal-change-width of the reagent portion that has developed color, and a morphological opening-operation is applied to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is larger than the signal-change-width of the reagent portion that has developed color. The color-developed state is measured based on a difference signal obtained by performing a subtraction between the image signals to which the opening-operations have been applied respectively.
9 Citations
33 Claims
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1. An immunochromatographic assay method for performing an assay related to a specimen by reacting a reagent held by a carrier and the specimen with each other, and by obtaining an image signal by imaging a reagent portion that has been reacted, and by measuring, based on the image signal, the color-developed state of the reagent caused by the reaction,
the method comprising: -
applying a morphological opening operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is less than or equal to a signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color; applying a morphological opening operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is larger than the signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color; obtaining a difference signal by performing a subtraction between the image signals to which the opening operations have been applied respectively; and measuring the color-developed state based on the difference signal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30)
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2. An immunochromatographic assay method for performing an assay related to a specimen by reacting a reagent held by a carrier and the specimen with each other, and by obtaining an image signal by imaging a reagent portion that has been reacted, and by measuring, based on the image signal, the color-developed state of the reagent by the reaction,
the method comprising: -
applying a level inversion operation to the image signal; applying a morphological closing operation to the image signal after the level inversion operation by using a structuring element the size of which is less than or equal to a signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color; applying a morphological closing operation to the image signal after the level inversion operation by using a structuring element the size of which is larger than the signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color; obtaining a difference signal by performing a subtraction between the image signals to which the closing operations have been applied respectively; and measuring the color-developed state based on the difference signal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31)
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5-18. -18. (canceled)
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32. An immunochromatographic assay apparatus comprising:
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a loading means that loads a carrier holding a reagent; an imaging means that obtains an image signal by imaging a reagent portion that has been reacted with a specimen; and a measuring means that measures, based on the image signal, the color-developed state of the reagent by the reaction, the apparatus comprising; a morphological operation unit that applies a morphological opening operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is less than or equal to a signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color, and that applies a morphological opening operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is larger than the signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color; a subtraction processing unit that obtains a difference signal by performing a subtraction between the image signals to which the opening operations have been applied respectively; and a measuring means that measures the color-developed state based on the difference signal.
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33. An immunochromatographic assay apparatus comprising:
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a loading means that loads a carrier holding a reagent; an imaging means that obtains an image signal by imaging a reagent portion that has been reacted with a specimen; and a measuring means that measures, based on the image signal, the color-developed state of the reagent by the reaction, the apparatus comprising; a means for applying a level inversion operation to the image signal; a morphological operation unit that applies a morphological closing operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is less than or equal to a signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color, and that applies a morphological closing operation to the image signal by using a structuring element the size of which is larger than the signal change width of the reagent portion that has developed color; a subtraction processing unit that obtains a difference signal by performing a subtraction between the image signals to which the closing operations have been applied respectively; and a measuring means that measures the color-developed state based on the difference signal.
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Specification