Methods and systems for detection of a consumable in a system

• US 9,984,302 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Life Technologies Corporation (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Life Technologies Corporation (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Inventors: Slettnes, Tor, Chang, Sylvia H., Goyal, Swati, Comstock, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Chu, Randolph I
• Application Number:
  US14/893,360
• Publication Number:
  US 20160110624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,468 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1439 including a method step for retrieval of the optical code
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/62 relating to a temporal dimension, e.g. time-based feature extraction; Pattern tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/635 Overlay text, e.g. embedded captions in a TV program

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for detecting a presence of an object-of-interest in a system is provided. The method includes imaging the first object-of-interest including an identifier, wherein the imaging generates a first set of image data and determining the portion of the image data including the identifier based on a predetermined location. The method further includes dividing the portion of the image data including the identifier into at least two segments Next, the presence of the object-of-interest is determined by determining if intensity values within each segment exceed a presence threshold.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for detecting a presence of a sample holder in a biological analysis system comprising an optical detector configured to detect signals from biological reactions occurring in the sample holder, the method comprising:

imaging the sample holder including an identifier on the sample holder, wherein the imaging generates image data;

determining a portion of the image data including the identifier based on the image data corresponding to a predetermined location of the imaged sample holder;

dividing the portion of the image data including the identifier into at least two segments of pixels, each of the at least two segments including differing pixels;

extracting, for each of the at least two segments, intensity values from the pixels in each of the at least two segments;

comparing, for each of the at least two segments, the intensity values of the pixels to intensity threshold values;

verifying a presence of the sample holder when the comparison identifies a number of related intensity values that exceeds a presence threshold for at least one of the at least two segments; and

in response to verifying the presence, initiating a biological sample analysis procedure using the biological analysis system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

calculating, for each of the at least two segments, the intensity threshold values from the intensity values of the pixels, wherein the intensity threshold values include a lower threshold indicating background data and an upper threshold indicating identifier data.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the comparison of the intensity values for each of the at least two segments, comprises:

iteratively comparing the intensity values of the pixels to the lower threshold and the upper threshold.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein determining the comparison for each of the at least two segments, comprises:

setting a flag when an intensity value of a pixel exceeds the upper threshold; and

incrementing a counter when a number of successive intensity values of successive pixels compared after setting the flag exceeds the lower threshold, wherein the counter indicates the number of related intensity values.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein the sample holder is verified as present if the counter indicates at least 4 related intensity values for at least one of the at least two segments.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the lower threshold, for each of the at least two segments, is determined by averaging the intensity values, and the upper threshold, for each of the at least two segments, is determined by averaging a brightest ⅔

of intensity values.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the extracting comprises extracting intensity values from pixels arranged in a one-dimensional array.

8. A system for detecting a presence of a sample holder in a biological analysis system, the system comprising:

an optical detector configured to image the sample holder including an identifier on the sample holder, wherein the imaging generates image data; and

a processor configured to;

determine a portion of the image data including the identifier based on the image data corresponding to a predetermined location of the imaged sample holder;

divide the portion of the image data including the identifier into at least two segments of pixels, each of the at least two segments including differing pixels;

extract, for each of the at least two segments, intensity values from the pixels in each of the at least two segments;

determine, for each of the at least two segments, a number of peaks based on a comparison of the intensity values of the pixels to intensity threshold values;

verify a presence of the sample holder when the comparison identifies a number of related intensity values that exceeds a presence threshold for at least one of the at least two segments; and

in response to verifying the presence, initiate a biological sample analysis procedure using the biological analysis system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

calculate, for each of the at least two segments, the intensity threshold values from the intensity values of the pixels, wherein the intensity threshold values include a lower threshold indicating background data and an upper threshold indicting identifier data.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the comparison of the intensity values for each of the at least two segments, comprises:

iteratively comparing the intensity values of the pixels to the lower threshold and the upper threshold.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the comparison for each of the at least two segments, comprises:

setting a flag when an intensity value of a pixel exceeds the upper threshold; and

incrementing a counter when a number of successive intensity values of successive pixels compared after setting the flag exceeds the lower threshold, wherein the counter indicates the number of related intensity values.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the sample holder is verified as present if the counter indicates at least 4 related intensity values for at least one of the at least two segments.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the lower threshold, for each of the at least two segments, is determined by averaging the intensity values, and the upper threshold, for each of the at least two segments, is determined by averaging a brightest ⅔

of intensity values.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the extracting comprises extracting intensity values from pixels arranged in a one-dimensional array.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium encoded with processor executable instructions, the instructions including instructions for:

imaging a sample holder in a biological analysis system including an identifier on the sample holder, wherein the imaging generates image data;

determining a portion of the image data including the identifier based on the image data corresponding to a predetermined location of the imaged sample holder;

dividing the portion of the image data including the identifier into at least two segments of pixels, each of the at least two segments including differing pixels;

extracting, for each of the at least two segments, intensity values from the pixels in each of the at least two segments;

determining, for each of the at least two segments, a number of peaks based on a comparison of the intensity values of the pixels to intensity threshold values;

verifying a presence of the sample holder when the comparison identifies a number of related intensity values that exceeds a presence threshold for at least one of the at least two segments; and

in response to verifying the presence, initiating a biological sample analysis procedure using the biological analysis system.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the instructions further including instructions for:

calculating, for each of the at least two segments, the intensity threshold values from the intensity values of the pixels, wherein the intensity threshold values include a lower threshold indicating background data and an upper threshold indicting identifier data.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the comparison of the intensity values for each of the at least two segments, comprise instruction for:

iteratively comparing the intensity values of the pixels to the lower threshold and the upper threshold.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein instructions for the comparing for each of the at least two segments, comprise instructions for:

setting a flag when an intensity value of a pixel exceeds the upper threshold; and

incrementing a counter when a number of successive intensity values of successive pixels compared after setting the flag exceeds the lower threshold, wherein the counter indicates the number of related intensity values.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the sample holder is verified as present if the counter indicates at least 4 related intensity values for at least one of the at least two segments.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the lower threshold, for each of the at least two segments, is determined by averaging the intensity values, and the upper threshold, for each of the at least two segments, is determined by averaging a brightest ⅔

of intensity values.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the extracting comprises extracting intensity values from pixels arranged in a one-dimensional array.