Sample analyzer, blood analyzer and displaying method

• US 9,322,834 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2008
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sysmex Corporation
• Inventors: Hirayama, Hideki, Nakamura, Yoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): JANG, CHRISTIAN YONGKYUN
• Application Number:
  US12/154,773
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,891 Days
• Field of Search: 600/368, 422/44, 702/21, 436/63, 436/70, 345/418, 345/581, 345/589, 345/593, 345/594, 382/133, 382/134
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/01 specially adapted for biological cells, e.g. blood cells investigating sedimentation of particle suspensions in blood G01N15/05
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1012 Calibrating particle analysers; References therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/012 Red blood cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/016 White blood cells
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/018 Platelets
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2015/1486 Counting the particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/0091 GUI [graphical user interfaces]
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/00584 Control arrangements for automatic analysers

Abstract

The present invention is to present a sample analyzer which is capable of displaying a particle distribution map of a measured sample and a reference particle distribution map so as to be visually compared without reducing a display area for displaying information other than the particle distribution map. The blood analyzer 1 comprises: a display 302; a measurement unit 2 for measuring a blood sample; and a controller 301 being configured to 1) generate a particle distribution map representing a distribution of the particles contained in the blood sample, based on measurement data obtained by the measurement unit 2; and 2) control the display 302 so as to display the particle distribution map of the blood sample at a predetermined display position and to display a reference particle distribution map at the predetermined display position so as to be visually compared with the particle distribution map of the blood sample.

Claims

1. A sample analyzer for analyzing a sample containing particles, comprising:

a display;

a measurement section for measuring a sample containing particles, wherein the sample corresponds to an animal other than human; and

a data processing unit in communication with the display and the measurement section, the data processing unit being configured to;

1) generate a sample particle distribution map representing a distribution of the particles contained in the sample, based on measurement data obtained by the measurement section; and

2) control the display so as to alternately display the sample particle distribution map and a reference particle distribution map selected from among a plurality of sets of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to a species of the animal, at the predetermined display position, and morph the display to visually compare the distribution maps,

wherein the data processing unit is configured to employ a plurality of different display methods to display the selected reference particle distribution map relative to the sample particle distribution map at the predetermined position;

wherein the data processing unit comprises a memory, and is configured to store the sample particle distribution map in the memory as one of the reference particle distribution maps in the plurality of sets of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to the species of the animal that corresponds to the sample, according to a registration instruction.

2. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein when receiving a display instruction of the reference particle distribution map the data processing unit reads out the reference particle distribution map from the memory;

and controls the display so as to display the reference particle distribution map at the predetermined display position.

3. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit automatically switches a display of the sample particle distribution map and a display of the reference particle distribution map.

4. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit switches a displayed information of the sample particle distribution map and a displayed information of the reference particle distribution map according to a switching instruction by a user.

5. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein according to one of the plurality of different display methods the data processing unit controls the display so that one of a first image of the sample particle distribution map and a second image of the reference particle distribution map are displayed at the predetermined display position gradually interchange by way of morphing, such that the first and second images deform into one another.

6. The sample analyzer of claim 5, wherein the data processing unit controls the display so that one of the first image of the sample particle distribution map and second image of the reference particle distribution map gradually appears at the predetermined display position as the other particle distribution map displayed at the predetermined display position gradually disappears from the predetermined display position.

7. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein according to one of the plurality of different display methods the data processing unit controls the display so as to display the reference particle distribution map on the sample particle distribution map at the predetermined display position distinguishably from the particle distribution map of the sample.

8. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the data processing unit changes a display method of the reference particle distribution map according to a change instruction of the displaying method of the reference particle distribution map.

9. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein the reference particle distribution map comprises a particle distribution map generated by measuring a second sample different from the sample.

10. The sample analyzer of claim 9, wherein the reference particle distribution map is selected from a group consisting of a particle distribution map of a sample collected from a healthy living body, a particle distribution map of a sample collected from the living body with a predetermined illness, a particle distribution map of another sample collected from a living body from which the sample measured in the measurement section is collected, and a particle distribution map of a sample collected from a living body of an animal species different from that of the living body from which the sample measured in the measurement section is collected.

11. The sample analyzer of claim 1, wherein each of the sample particle distribution map and the reference particle distribution map comprises a scattergram generated using at least two types of characteristic information representing characteristics of particles in a sample comprising RBC/PLT and WBC.

12. The blood analyzer of claim 1, wherein the species of the animal comprises one of dog, cat, cow, or horse.

13. A sample analyzer for analyzing a sample containing particles, comprising:

a display;

a memory storing a plurality of sets of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to different animal species;

a measurement section for measuring a sample from an animal other than human containing particles;

generating means for generating a sample particle distribution map representing a distribution of the particles contained in the sample, based on measurement data obtained by the measurement section;

display controlling means for controlling the display so as to alternately display the sample particle distribution map at a predetermined display position and to display a reference particle distribution map from among a set of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to a species of the animal that corresponds to the sample at the predetermined display position and morph the display so as to visually compared the distribution maps, the set being selected from a plurality of sets of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to a plurality of different species of animal,

wherein the display controlling means employs a plurality of different display methods to display the reference particle distribution map relative to the particle distribution map at the predetermined position; and

storing means for storing a particle distribution map representing a distribution of particles contained in a first sample, generated by measuring the first sample, as one of the reference particle distribution maps in the set of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to the species of the animal that corresponds to the sample, according to a registration instruction.

14. A method for displaying a particle distribution map representing a distribution of particles contained in a sample from an animal other than human, comprising steps of:

(a) storing, in a memory, a plurality of sets of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to one or more animal species including a first sample particle distribution map representing a distribution of particles contained in a first sample, generated by measuring the first sample, as a reference particle distribution map among a set of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to a species of the animal that corresponds to the sample according to a registration instruction, the set being selected from a plurality of sets of reference particle distribution maps corresponding to a plurality of different species of animal;

(b) generating, using a computer processor, a second sample particle distribution map representing a distribution of particles contained in a second sample by measuring the second sample containing the particles and displaying the second particle distribution map at a predetermined display position; and

(c) alternately displaying the first sample particle distribution map stored in step (a) at the predetermined display position and morph the display so as to be visually compared with the second particle distribution map, wherein displaying comprises displaying the reference particle distribution map relative to the particle distribution map at the predetermined position according to a display method selected from among a plurality of display methods.

15. A blood analyzer for analyzing blood samples of a plurality of species of animals, comprising:

a display;

a measurement section for measuring a blood sample including both an RBC/PLT detecting section and a WBC detecting section configured to discriminate non-human blood cells; and

a data processing unit in communication with the display and the measurement section, the data processing unit being configured to

1) accept a selection of a non-human animal species to be measured among a plurality of non-human animal species;

2) generate a blood cell distribution map representing a distribution of blood cells contained in the blood sample, based on measurement data obtained by the measurement section; and

3) control the display so as to alternatingly display the blood cell distribution map of the blood sample and a reference blood cell distribution map selected from among a set of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to the selected animal species and morph the display so as to visually compare the distribution maps, the set being selected from a plurality of sets of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to a plurality of different species of animal,

wherein the data processing unit is configured to employ a plurality of different display methods to display the reference particle distribution map relative to the particle distribution map at the predetermined position

wherein the data processing unit comprises a memory, and is configured to store the blood cell distribution map of the blood sample in the memory as one of the reference blood cell distribution maps in the set of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to the selected animal species, according to a registration instruction.

16. The blood analyzer of claim 15, wherein

the data processing unit stores in the memory a plurality of reference blood cell distribution maps for every animal species, reads out the reference blood cell distribution map corresponding to the selected animal species from the memory according to a display instruction of the reference blood cell distribution map, and controls the display so as to display the read-out reference blood cell distribution map.

17. The blood analyzer of claim 15, wherein the data processing unit controls the display so as to display the blood cell distribution map of the blood sample on a predetermined distribution map display region, and display the reference blood cell distribution map on a reference distribution map display region adjacent to the predetermined distribution map display region.

18. A blood analyzer for analyzing blood samples of a plurality of species of animals, comprising:

a display;

a memory;

a measurement section for measuring a blood sample including both an RBC/PLT detecting section and a WBC detecting section configured to discriminate non-human blood cells; and

accepting means for accepting a selection of an animal species to be measured from among a plurality of animal species other than human;

generating means for generating a blood cell distribution map representing a distribution of blood cells contained in the blood sample, based on measurement data obtained by the measurement section;

display controlling means for controlling the display so as to alternatingly display the blood cell distribution map of the blood sample and a reference blood cell distribution map selected from among a set of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to the selected animal species and for morphing the display so as to visually compare the distribution maps, the set being selected from a plurality of sets of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to a plurality of different species of animal, wherein the display controlling means employs a plurality of different display methods to display the reference particle distribution map relative to the particle distribution map at the predetermined position; and

storing means for storing the blood cell distribution map of the sample in the memory as one of the reference blood cell distribution maps in the set of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to the selected species of animal, according to a registration instruction.

19. A method for displaying a blood cell distribution map in a blood analyzer for analyzing blood samples of a plurality of species of animals, comprising steps of:

a) selecting an animal species to be measured from among a plurality of non-human animal species;

b) storing, in a memory, a blood cell distribution map representing a distribution of blood cells contained in a first sample generated by measuring the first sample, as a reference blood cell distribution map among a set of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to a species of the animal that corresponds to the sample according to a registration instruction, the set being selected from a plurality of sets of reference blood cell distribution maps corresponding to a plurality of different species of animal;

c) generating, using a computer processor, a blood cell distribution map representing a distribution of blood cells contained in a second blood sample by measuring the second blood sample; and

d) displaying the generated blood cell distribution map stored in step (b) and the reference blood cell distribution map corresponding to the animal species selected in step a) so as to be visually compared, wherein the displaying comprises displaying the reference particle distribution map relative to the particle distribution map at the predetermined position and morphing the display so as to visually compare the distribution maps according to a display method comprising one of;

a first display method that comprises alternately displaying the particle distribution map of the sample and the reference particle distribution map at the predetermined display position;

a second display method that comprises displaying so that one of the particle distribution map of the sample and the reference particle distribution map displayed at the predetermined display position gradually changes to the other particle distribution map;

or

a third display method that comprises displaying the reference particle distribution map on the particle distribution map of the sample at the predetermined display position distinguishably from the particle distribution map of the sample.