Device for identifying the type of particle detected by a particle detecting device

• US 5,469,375 A
• Filed: 02/01/1993
• Issued: 11/21/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Toa Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kosaka, Tokihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Voeltz, Emanuel T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KEMPER, MELANIE A
• Application Number:
  US08/011,812
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 364/555, 364/413.07, 364/413.08, 364/496, 364/497, 364/498, 356/39, 356/40, 356/41, 356/42, 382/6
• US Class Current: 702/77
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1012 Calibrating particle analysers; References therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1433 using image recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1459 the analysis being performed on a sample stream
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1014 Constitution of reference particles
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/698 Matching; Classification

Abstract

A device for identifying the kind of each particle detected by a particle detecting device such as imaging flow cytometer from detection signals obtained by passing therethrough a specimen, such as blood, in which various kinds of particles (blood corpuscles) exist intermixedly. Distribution characteristics (mean value, distribution width, etc.) of specific physical values previously obtained on a known kind of reference particles are stored, the degree of similarity of the detected particle to the reference particles, that is, "probability of correctness of judgement at the time of judging the detected particle as of the same kind of the reference particles" is calculated, in accordance with a predetermined, rule from the particle detection signals representing the same physical values and the stored distribution characteristics of the reference particles, and the probabilities calculated on the respective physical values are synthesized to judge whether or not the detected particle is of the same kind as the reference particles.

Claims

1. A particle judging device comprising:

means for detecting each particle from a specimen in which plural kinds of particles exist intermixedly and producing at least two detection signals each representing the value of one of at least two characteristic parameters of said particle;

means for storing mean values and distribution widths for each of said characteristic parameters representative of various specific kinds of particle;

means for calculating respective deviations of each of said detection signals from a corresponding one of said mean values;

means for normalizing each respective deviation based upon a corresponding one of said distribution widths to obtain respective normalized deviations;

means for storing respective predetermined probability distribution functions;

means for determining respective probabilities for each of said respective normalized deviations based upon a corresponding one of said probability distribution functions;

means for weighting each of said respective probabilities of said normalized deviations in accordance with a predetermined rule to produce weighted probabilities; and

judging means for judging whether said particle belongs to any one of said specific kinds or not, on the basis of said weighted probabilities.

2. The particle judging device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for storing respective predetermined probability distribution functions comprises means for storing plural functions and selecting and supplying one of said plural functions to said probability determining means.

3. The particle judging device as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising:

switch means for selectively inverting a logic of an output of said judging means.

4. The particle judging device as set forth in claim 1, and further comprising:

a plurality of said judging means for judging whether said particle belongs to any one of said specific kinds or not, corresponding to a plurality of particle judging rules, and

wired OR means for receiving results of judgment of said plurality of judging means and for delivering a judgment signal at an output of said wired OR means.

5. The particle judging device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising means for generating, in response to a determination by said judging means that said particle belongs to said one specific kind, a strobe triggering signal for driving a stroboscopic light source to capture an image of said particle.

6. A particle judging device for comparing a candidate particle with an object particle of a known type, comprising:

means for receiving a plurality of detection signals each corresponding to a different type of physical measurement obtained from said candidate particle;

means for storing, for each of said plurality of detection signals, a probability distribution function which correlates values of the detection signal with a probability that said candidate particle matches said object particle;

means for converting each said detection signal into one of said probabilities by applying said probability distribution function to a respective detection signal;

means for weighting each of said probabilities output by said converting means by applying a coefficient determined in accordance with a predetermined judging rule;

an adder for adding each of said weighted probabilities into a summed value; and

a comparator, coupled to said adder and to a reference value register, for comparing said summed value with a reference value stored in said reference value register and outputting a judgment signal indicative of a match, wherein said converting means comprises

means for determining a deviation from a stored mean value for each of said detection signals; and

means for normalizing each of said determined deviations in accordance with a stored distribution width.