초록 ▼

A microorganism detecting apparatus comprising a fluorescence microscope section which is furnished with a motor-driven xyz stage assembly for placing thereon a slide sample subject to fluorescent staining. An illumination subsystem for projecting excitation light of predetermined wavelength on the

A microorganism detecting apparatus comprising a fluorescence microscope section which is furnished with a motor-driven xyz stage assembly for placing thereon a slide sample subject to fluorescent staining. An illumination subsystem for projecting excitation light of predetermined wavelength on the sample and a filter assembly for emission, which limits the band of frequencies emitted to a video camera which captures the images of fluorescent stained microorganisms from the sample slide mounted on the xyz stage assembly. A computer reads the output value of the band-limited signal from the video camera and processes the read output. A subsystem device has controllers which drive the xyz stage assembly so as to permit the microorganism sample to be scanned over its whole area. Each image is displayed on a video display monitor and detected microbes in the sample are stored on a hard drive and in an imaging archive system to permit verification or reexamination.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An apparatus for detecting and imaging fluorescent substances in a microorganism sample wherein the microorganism sample includes viruses, the apparatus comprising:a. a stage for placing thereon a microorganism sample subjected to fluorescent staining, and for transportin

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] An apparatus for detecting and imaging fluorescent substances in a microorganism sample wherein the microorganism sample includes viruses, the apparatus comprising:a. a stage for placing thereon a microorganism sample subjected to fluorescent staining, and for transporting the sample to permit the same to be scanned;b. an illuminator for projecting excitation light of a predetermined wavelength onto the sample to fluoresce the sample so that a fluorescent light is emitted from the sample, wherein a predetermined wavelength is selected to fluoresce truly fluorescing microorganisms to distinguish truly fluorescing microorganisms from autofluorescent foreign matter;c. an emission filter of a predetermined frequency band-width for filtering the fluorescent light from the sample, the frequency bandwidth being selected to include the selected emission frequency of the illuminator;d. an image subsystem including video camera for sensing the filtered fluorescent light conveying the morphology, size and density which has passed through the filter assembly to obtain an actual image of the sample;e. a frame grabber assembly for capturing and processing the actual image of the sample to produce a band-limited digitized image signal;f. a parallel image processor assembly for comparing the band-limited digitized image signal to digitize image signals stored in trained knowledge-based software having an image database of selected images of organisms and artifacts in order to determine if the fluorescing image is that of a selected organism or an artifact; andg. data storage for maintaining archives of the images and locations of fluorescing microbes in processed samples.