APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IMAGING PARTICLES THROUGH FLOW CELL IMAGING

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus for rapidly imaging particles of cells or the like in a fluid volume. SOLUTION: A flow cell mechanism causes a specimen liquid containing particles of interest to flow in an imaging region having a flat flow path in a flow cell 16, and is provided in a flow imaging apparatus. In the flow imaging region, a still image of the specimen liquid is captured by using an illumination source 13 and an image capturing device 19. The still image is then subjected to image processing, thereby executing analysis such as classification and counting of the particles in the specimen liquid. Convenient and automated analysis of particles can be performed in a two-dimensional imaged frame confined by the walls of a thin, transparent, three-dimensional flow cell. COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO