JPH0147730B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a particle analyzer for analyzing particles such as blood cells, and more specifically, to clearly display and/or record differences between various particle distribution curves, and to detect abnormal specimens or abnormal measurements. The present invention relates to a particle analyzer equipped with abnormal item display and recording functions that allow values to be detected clearly and quickly. [Prior Art] In the past, it has been necessary to diagnose diseases based on the size distribution of particles such as blood cells, or to judge the agglomeration of powder in the industrial field.
Conventionally, the size of the particle detection signal of commonly used electronic blood cell counters is proportional to the particle size, making it possible to measure the particle size distribution state by setting a large number of threshold values. Ta. However, at present, only the particle size distribution of the particles is recorded, and subsequent differences between multiple samples and differences from the normal distribution can only be confirmed directly with the naked eye, or numerical data before the distribution curve is obtained. Since the calculations are based on statistical calculations and comparisons are made using these numerical values, skill is required to make such judgments. Particularly in hospital laboratories, cases such as macrocytic normochromic anemia and microcytic hypochromic anemia can be diagnosed based on the particle size distribution of red blood cells, but usually the average The values are MCV (mean corpuscular volume), MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin content),
It is often diagnosed based on blood cell parameters called red blood cell constants, such as MCHC (mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration). Therefore, it is important to accurately judge the difference in particle size distribution curves and use it as diagnostic material.
Since the amount of information is small, it often relies on intuition, and cannot be said to be an appropriate method. Therefore, it is more difficult to judge whether parameters such as the position of the peak, the shape and width of the distribution curve obtained from the above particle size distribution curve deviate from normal values, and these judgments can be made in various ways. This can only be obtained after statistical calculations or plotting on graphs, which requires a lot of manpower and time. In view of the above points, the present inventors have provided a particle detection device, a comparison circuit, a signal generation circuit, an arithmetic/control circuit, a read-only memory, a read/write memory, an input device, a display device, Developed a particle analyzer consisting of a read/write memory, a first memory, a second memory, and a third memory in combination with a recording device.
A patent has been applied for. [Problems to be solved by the invention] However, the particle analyzer disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 54-165008 has only up to the third memory, and it is difficult to record the desired graph in one scan.
There was a problem that it could not be displayed. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and it not only solves the above-mentioned problems and can quickly display and/or record clear differences in particle size distribution, but also enables statistical calculation results to be displayed on a predetermined particle size distribution curve. The object of the present invention is to provide a particle analyzer that can clearly determine whether or not the particle is within the range. [Means for Solving the Problems] The particle analyzer of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A particle detection device 1 that generates a signal proportional to the size of the particle, a comparison circuit 2 that has a plurality of successive threshold values for the particle signal from this particle detection device, and an output signal of this comparison circuit to determine the size of the particle. a signal generation circuit 3 that generates a signal representing the current value; and an arithmetic/control circuit 4 that is connected to this signal generation circuit and performs statistical calculation processing.
, a read-only memory 5 which is connected to this arithmetic/control circuit and stores the arithmetic and control sequences, and
The read-only memory 14 includes a read/write memory 14, an input device 10, a display device 12, and/or a recording device 13 connected to a control circuit, and the read-only memory 14 includes a first memory 6, a second memory 7, and a third memory 8. and a fourth memory 9, the first memory 6 stores the cumulative particle size distribution or the number distribution of the normal particle size distribution, the second memory 7 stores the particle size distribution expressed as a percentage, and the third memory 8 stores the particle size distribution in percentage. Differences between particle size distributions due to different samples or deviations of various parameters when the same sample is repeatedly measured are stored in the fourth memory 9, and a predetermined range of normal values can be specified using statistical calculation results and abnormalities can be selected. The items for performing the calculation are memorized, and when the statistical calculation result deviates from the normal value, it is detected and the deviation from the normal value is displayed or marked with a sign and displayed and/or recorded along with the induction distribution curve. It is characterized by becoming. [Operation] When the particle signal from the particle detection device 1 is sent to the comparison circuit 2, the peak value of the signal or the comparators up to the peak value are turned on, and the signal is input in parallel to the next circuit through output terminals equal to the number of comparators. . In the signal generation circuit 3, an appropriate frequency dividing circuit is connected in parallel with the number of terminals to match the calculation speed, or the input of the next particle signal is prohibited during calculation for one pulse, so that the average particle The pulse interval is used as a comparison signal, and each terminal is scanned and the peak value of particles or the line that is turned on up to the peak value is first scanned by the arithmetic/control circuit 4 in accordance with the program order of the read-only memory 5. The data are sequentially stored in the memory 6. At this time, what is stored for the peak value of the particle is a normal particle size distribution curve, and what is stored for each particle by all the lines that are turned on up to the peak value is a cumulative particle size distribution curve. Each address of the first memory 6 corresponds to a particle size, that is, a threshold value, and each address stores the number of particles. When the volume of a predetermined particle suspension liquid or the measurement of a predetermined time period is completed, each address in the first memory 6 is sequentially read in accordance with the calculation order of the read-only memory 5, and (1) the total number of particles, ( 2) When stored in the form of cumulative particle size distribution, read out the difference in the number of particles between adjacent addresses; when the particle size distribution is normal, read out the number of particles at that address.
The operations of (1) dividing by the total number of particles and (3) storing the calculation results in each corresponding address of the second memory 7 are performed, and a particle size distribution curve expressed as a percentage is obtained. [Example] Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a systematic explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the particle analyzer of the present invention. The particle analyzer of this example includes a particle detection device 1 that detects particles based on electrical or optical differences between the particles and a particle suspension liquid and generates a signal proportional to the size of the particles; A comparison circuit 2 having a plurality of consecutive threshold values, for example, 50 or 100, for the particle signal from the device 1, and a signal generation circuit that generates a signal representing the size of the particle based on the output signal of this comparison circuit 2. 3, a calculation/control circuit 4 connected to this signal generation circuit 3 and performing statistical calculation processing, and a calculation/control circuit 4 connected to this signal generation circuit 3 and performing statistical calculation processing.
It consists of a read-only memory 5 connected to the control circuit 4 and storing calculations and control sequences, a read/write memory connected to the calculation/control circuit 4, an input device 10, a display device 12, and/or a recording device 13. It includes an output device 11. The read/write memories include a first memory 6, a second memory 7, and a third memory 8.
and a fourth memory 9, the first memory 6 stores the cumulative particle size distribution or the number distribution of the normal particle size distribution, the second memory 7 stores the particle size distribution expressed as a percentage, and the third memory 8 stores the number distribution of the cumulative particle size distribution or the normal particle size distribution. Differences between particle size distributions of different samples or deviations of various parameters when the same sample is repeatedly measured are stored. Although the read/write memories are shown separately for ease of understanding, one read/write memory 14 includes a first memory 6, a second memory 7, a third memory 8, and a fourth memory 9. may be configured to be divided into each area. In the particle analyzer configured as described above, when the particle signal from the particle detection device 1 is sent to the comparator circuit 2, the peak value of the signal or the comparator up to the peak value is turned on, and the comparator is turned on in the next circuit. Input in parallel using as many output terminals as possible. In the signal generation circuit 3, an appropriate frequency dividing circuit is connected in parallel with the number of terminals to match the calculation speed, or the input of the next particle signal is prohibited during calculation for one pulse, so that the average particle The pulse interval is used as a comparison signal, and each terminal is scanned and the peak value of particles or the line that is turned on up to the peak value is first scanned by the arithmetic/control circuit 4 in accordance with the program order of the read-only memory 5. The data are sequentially stored in the memory 6. At this time, what is stored for the peak value of the particle is a normal particle size distribution curve, and what is stored for each particle by all the lines that are turned on up to the peak value is a cumulative particle size distribution curve. Each address of the first memory 6 corresponds to a particle size, that is, a threshold value, and each address stores the number of particles. When the volume of a predetermined particle suspension liquid or the measurement of a predetermined time period is completed, each address in the first memory 6 is sequentially read in accordance with the calculation order in the read-only memory 5, and (1) the total number of particles, ( 2) If stored in the form of cumulative particle size distribution, read out the difference in the number of particles between adjacent addresses; if the particle size distribution is normal, read out the number of particles at that address.
The operations of (1) dividing by the total number of particles and (3) storing the calculation results in each corresponding address of the second memory 7 are performed, and a particle size distribution curve expressed as a percentage is obtained. The above is for one sample (one specimen), but by performing similar measurements and calculations for other samples (sample) in the remaining space of each memory 6 and 7, it is possible to perform the same measurements and calculations for 10, 20 or even several tens of samples. data is stored. These data are displayed and/or displayed by the display device 12 and/or the storage device 13 of the output device 11 in the form shown in FIG.
Or can be memorized. It is also possible to display and/or record the superimposition in the form shown in Fig. 3, but if it is not stored once in the third memory 8 corresponding to each point on the graph, the recording paper will not be It is necessary to scan the (paper) several times. The same holds true for display (display is possible by repeatedly scanning the third memory 8). Note that in FIGS. 2 and 3, 3001, 3002, 3003, and 3004 indicate sample numbers. The fourth memory 9 is used for the main operation of the present invention. The device of the present invention can process, record and/or display the numerical values shown in Table 1.

【table】

[Table] In this measurement, first, a command for arithmetic processing is inputted from the input device 10, and a display as shown in Table 2 is displayed on the display device 12 of the output device 11.

[Table] In Table 2, MIN is the lower limit of the normal range,
MAX is the upper limit of the normal range, and even if it is smaller than MIN or larger than MAX, it indicates an abnormality. Also, the Γ mark between the number and item is
This is a display of items selected from the input device 10, and the minimum value (MIN) and maximum value (MAX) of each item can be changed as necessary. In this example, 1, 3, 4, 18, 19,
It is designated to perform abnormality selection for items 20, 21, 22, and 23, and this is stored in the fourth memory 9. Subsequently, measurements are performed on several dozen samples, and the second memory 7 stores information regarding the particle size distribution curve of each sample, and based on this information, the fourth memory 9
Calculations regarding the items stored in are performed for each specimen and stored in the fourth memory 9 at the same time.
In Table 2, items 19 onwards are items that are not explained in Table 1, but other information is simultaneously stored in the fourth memory 9 from the particle detection device 1 through the line 15 as blood cell parameters. be.
In Table 2, WBC is the white blood cell count, RBC is the red blood cell count, HGB is the hemoglobin value, HCT is the hematricet value, MCV is the mean corpuscular volume, MCH is the mean corpuscular hemoglobin value, and MCHC is the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration. Now, for the measurements performed as described above, for example, in order to output only the measurement portion exceeding a pre-specified range and have the recording device 13 record it on a data sheet, the command is issued from the input device 10, and the calculation/control is performed. Scanning the fourth memory 9 by the circuit 4;
Samples that fall outside predetermined maximum and minimum values are selected. These are sequentially recorded by the recording device 13.
Figure 4 shows an example of the recording results of a specimen selected as abnormal.
The information is stored in the form recorded in the storage device 1.
Each plot point is recalled and plotted according to the scanning order of 3. Of course, the particle size distribution curve shown in FIG. 4 is obtained by reading out the data stored in the second memory 7 by the arithmetic/control circuit 4 and temporarily storing it in the third memory 8. Note that it is also possible to display the information at the same time as recording. For example, an abnormal display a as shown in the upper right corner of FIG. 4 or a display as shown in Table 3 indicating whether an item is abnormal is also possible. The display shown in Table 3 is displayed adjacent to FIG. An indication indicating an abnormality may be printed in red or the like in addition to the Γ mark, or other symbols (marks) may be attached.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the present invention is configured as described above, the following effects can be achieved. That is, when displaying and storing multiple particle size distributions stored in the second memory in a superimposed manner as shown in FIG.
While stored in memory, the recording paper must be scanned each time a different particle size distribution is recorded. The same applies when displaying. However, since the third memory stores the results of superimposing a plurality of particle size distributions, a graph like the one shown in FIG. 3 can be recorded and displayed in one scan. The device of the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application No. 165008/1987 did not have such a third memory function. Also, it is stored which item among those shown in the second table is to be selected for abnormality. Without this function, it would be necessary to specify which item to select for abnormality each time a measurement is made, or the items for which this device determines abnormality would be fixed and cannot be changed. The same applies to storing the minimum value and maximum value. Furthermore, since the fourth memory stores calculation results for multiple samples, once the fourth memory is scanned, samples that deviate from normal values can be easily selected. Information on specimens selected as abnormal as shown in FIG. 4 is also stored in the fourth memory before being recorded. As a result, a graph as shown in FIG. 4 is recorded and displayed by scanning the corresponding storage location in the fourth memory only once. These functions are also absent from the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 54-165008. Therefore, according to the particle analyzer of the present invention,
By setting the normal value range for only the necessary items in advance, it is possible to obtain the effect as if each item had set the normal value range of the particle size distribution curve on the diagram, and therefore the particle size distribution curve Abnormalities can be detected much more accurately, quickly, and reliably than by looking at the object and determining whether it deviates from a certain range. The particle analyzer of the present invention can be applied not only to the field of blood cell analysis but also to the industrial field, and can also be used to monitor wastewater.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a systematic explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the particle analyzer of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 4 are graphs showing measurement examples. 1... Particle detection device, 2... Comparison circuit, 3...
Signal generation circuit, 4... Arithmetic/control circuit, 5... Read-only memory, 6... First memory, 7... Second memory, 8... Third memory, 9... Fourth memory, 1
0...Input device, 11...Output device, 12...Display device, 13...Recording device, 14...Read/write memory, 15...Line.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A particle detection device that detects particles based on electrical or optical differences between particles and a particle suspension liquid and generates a signal proportional to the size of the particles, and a particle signal from this particle detection device. A comparison circuit that has a plurality of consecutive threshold values, a signal generation circuit that generates a signal representing the size of a particle based on the output signal of this comparison circuit, and an arithmetic/control circuit that is connected to this signal generation circuit and performs statistical calculation processing. , a read-only memory connected to this calculation/control circuit and storing calculations and control sequences, and a read/write memory, an input device, a display device, and/or a recording device connected to the calculation/control circuit. The read/write memory includes a first memory, a second memory, a third memory, and a fourth memory, the first memory stores the cumulative particle size distribution or the number distribution of the normal particle size distribution, and the second memory stores the number distribution of the cumulative particle size distribution or the normal particle size distribution. stores the particle size distribution expressed as a percentage, the third memory stores the differences between the particle size distributions of different samples, or the deviations of various parameters when the same sample is repeatedly measured, and the fourth memory stores the particle size distribution expressed as a percentage. Items for specifying the range of normal values by statistical calculation results and selecting abnormalities are stored, and when the statistical calculation results deviate from the normal values, it is detected and the deviation from the normal values is displayed or marked. A particle analysis device characterized by displaying and/or recording along with a particle size distribution curve.