Method for classifying supposedly cancerous cytologic preparations and apparatus for identifying supposedly cancerous cytologic preparations effecting this method

Claim 1

An apparatus for identifying supposedly cancerous cytologic preparations with reference to an image of cells of these preparaTions, comprising: a means for generating signals carrying information about areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of levels, having a first output which provides a signal carrying information about said areas, and a second output which provides a signal carrying information about a serial number of these levels; a unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical depending upon said areas of said cell measured at the preset levels i of optical density, applied whereto are said signals carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of the levels; a pulse frequency divider of said unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical, having a first input and a second input and an output; the first and the second inputs of said divider connected to the first and the second outputs of said means for generating said pulses carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of the levels; said divider dividing the area Si of said image of said cell, measured at the preset level i of optical density, by a weight division coefficient ai corresponding to that level; a reversible counter of said unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical; having a counting input, reversal control inputs and digit outputs; said counting input of said reversible counter connected to said output of said divider; a unit for controlling said reversible counter, also incorporated into said unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical, whose input is connected to the second output of said means for generating signals carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of the levels; said reversal control inputs of said reversible counter connected to said unit for controlling said reversible counter, so that following the application to the input of that unit of a signal carrying information about a serial number of levels i of optical density of said image of said cell from the second output of said means for generating said signals carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and a serial number of levels, said unit for controlling said reversible counter switches, depending upon the serial number of the level of optical density, said reversible counter, which contains the sum of the weighed areas

Claim 2

An apparatus for identifying supposedly cancerous cytologic preparations with reference to an image of cells of these preparaTions, comprising: a means for generating signals carrying information about areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of levels, having a first output which provides a signal carrying information about said areas, and a second output which provides a signal carrying information about a serial number of these levels; a unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical depending upon said areas of said cell measured at the preset levels i of optical density, applied whereto are said signals carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of the levels; a pulse frequency divider of said unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical, having a first input and a second input and an output; the first and the second inputs of said divider connected to the first and the second outputs of said means for generating said pulses carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of the levels; said divider dividing the area Si of said image of said cell, measured at the preset level i of optical density, by a weight division coefficient ai corresponding to that level; a reversible counter of said unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical; having a counting input, reversal control inputs and digit outputs; said counting input of said reversible counter connected to said output of said divider; a unit for controlling said reversible counter, also incorporated into said unit for classification of said cell as normal or atypical, whose input is connected to the second output of said means for generating signals carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and about a serial number of the levels; said reversal control inputs of said reversible counter connected to said unit for controlling said reversible counter, so that following the application to the input of that unit of a signal carrying information about a serial number of levels i of optical density of said image of said cell from the second output of said means for generating said signals carrying information about said areas Si of said image of said cell of said cytologic preparation at the preset levels i of optical density of said image of that cell and a serial number of levels, said unit for controlling said reversible counter switches, depending upon the serial number of the level of optical density, said reversible counter, which contains the sum of the weighed areas

Claim 4

A method for the classification of supposedly cancerous cytologic preparations with reference to images of cells of these preparations, based upon converting a video signal obtained in the course of scanning of said images and processing information contained in said video signal representative of optical and geometrical parameters of said images, comprising the following steps: discriminating a portion of said video signal representative of the image of a cell to be classified; detecting the extreme black and white levels of said discriminated video signal; converting said discriminated video signal into n electrical signals each corresponding to one of n preset levels of optical density within the limits of said detected extreme black and white levels; measuring parameters of each of said n electrical signals to provide information representative of optical and geometrical parameters of said image of said cell to be classified; and classifying said cell into a normal cell or an atypical cell depending upon the combination of said measured parameters representative of the optical and geometrical parameters of said image of said cell.

Claim 5

A method for the classification of supposedly cancerous cytologic preparations with reference to images of cells of these preparations, based upon converting a video signal obtained in the course of scanning of said images and processing information contained in said video signal representative of optical and geometrical parameters of said images, comprising the following steps: discriminating a portion of said video signal representative of the image of a cell to be classified; detecting the extreme black and white levels of said discriminated video signal; converting said discriminated video signal into n electrical signals each corresponding to one of n preset levels of optical density within the limits of said detected extreme black and white levels; measuring parameters of each of said n electrical signals to provide information representative of optical and geometrical parameters of said image of said cell to be classified; and classifying said cell into a normal cell or an atypical cell depending upon the combination of said measured parameters representative of the optical and geometrical parameters of said image of said cell.