Abstract: A thin-section sample fabrication apparatus includes a sample table that places a thin section cut out from an embedding block, a transporting mechanism that moves the thin section to the vicinity of the sample table, a liquid phase forming portion that forms a liquid phase having a predetermined amount of transfer liquid which continues from the transport surface onto the sample table, and a thin-section transfer portion that transfers the thin section onto the sample table so that a surface of the thin section opposing the transport surface opposes the sample table by surface tension of the liquid phase formed by the liquid phase forming portion.

Abstract: A thin section fabrication apparatus includes an epi-imaging data acquisition unit that performs imaging by radiating epi-illumination and acquires imaging data, a diffusion imaging data acquisition unit that performs imaging by radiating diffusion illumination and acquires imaging data, an exposed shape extraction unit that extracts an exposed shape of an exposure portion of the biological sample which is exposed to a surface of the embedding block, based on the imaging data acquired by the epi-imaging data acquisition unit, an embedded shape extraction unit that extracts an embedded shape of an embedding portion of the biological sample which is embedded in the embedding block, based on the imaging data acquired by the diffusion imaging data acquisition unit, and a control unit that determines ending of the preliminary cutting by comparing the exposed shape extracted by the exposed shape extraction unit and the embedded shape extracted by the embedded shape extraction unit.

Abstract: A thin section fabrication apparatus includes an epi-imaging data acquisition unit that performs imaging by radiating epi-illumination and acquires imaging data, a diffusion imaging data acquisition unit that performs imaging by radiating diffusion illumination and acquires imaging data, an exposed shape extraction unit that extracts an exposed shape of an exposure portion of the biological sample which is exposed to a surface of the embedding block, based on the imaging data acquired by the epi-imaging data acquisition unit, an embedded shape extraction unit that extracts an embedded shape of an embedding portion of the biological sample which is embedded in the embedding block, based on the imaging data acquired by the diffusion imaging data acquisition unit, and a control unit that determines ending of the preliminary cutting by comparing the exposed shape extracted by the exposed shape extraction unit and the embedded shape extracted by the embedded shape extraction unit.

Abstract: A thin-section sample fabrication apparatus includes a sample table that places a thin section cut out from an embedding block, a transporting mechanism that moves the thin section to the vicinity of the sample table, a liquid phase forming portion that forms a liquid phase having a predetermined amount of transfer liquid which continues from the transport surface onto the sample table, and a thin-section transfer portion that transfers the thin section onto the sample table so that a surface of the thin section opposing the transport surface opposes the sample table by surface tension of the liquid phase formed by the liquid phase forming portion.

Abstract: A thin section preparing apparatus prepares a thin section from an embedded block having a biological sample embedded and carries the thin section. The thin section preparing apparatus includes a cutter, an approaching and separating mechanism, a carrying mechanism, a moving unit, a sliding mechanism and a control unit. The cutter slices the block at a pull angle. The approaching and separating mechanism relatively moves the block and the cutter along an approaching and separating direction. The carrying mechanism having a carrying body is arranged as one end side is near a nose, and the moving unit moves the body along a transport direction. The sliding mechanism relatively moves the block and the body along a moving direction.

Abstract: A manufacturing system for producing thin sections of a biological sample embedded in a block. The system includes, a blade holder disposed at a rake angle relative to the block, a mounting plane on which a plurality of cutting blades are mounted, an adsorptive member on the mounting plane that maintains the posture of the cutting blades, a pressing member that presses a selected cutting blade against the mounting plane, a conveyor unit that slides out the cutting blades by sequentially conveying the plurality of cutting blades to feed them one by one on the mounting plane, a transportation unit that moves the block relative to the holder, such that the cutting blade cuts out a thin section from the sample, and a control unit that operates the conveyor unit to exchange the selected cutting blade.

Abstract: An embedded block is capable of being humidified in a short time without influencing a surface temperature of the embedded block as much as possible. An embedded block humidifier for humidifying an embedded block having a biological specimen embedded in an embedding agent is provided which includes a vapor generating mechanism for generating vapor heated at a predetermined temperature and a guiding mechanism for guiding the vapor to the embedded block so that the generated vapor contacts with a surface of the embedded block set at a predetermined standby position.

Abstract: An apparatus that slices an embedded block having a biological sample embedded therein to prepare a thin section, includes: a cutter that slices the embedded block; a moving mechanism that relatively moves the block and the cutter along an approaching and separating direction in which they approach and separate from each other; a height adjusting mechanism that relatively moves them along a vertical direction; a sliding mechanism that relatively moves them along a sliding direction nearly orthogonal to the approaching and separating direction; and a control unit that controls them to begin to move at initial positions set in advance, the block to be brought into contact at the same point of a nose of the cutter, and the cutter to be slid in the same direction as a ratio between a velocity in the approaching and separating direction and a velocity in the sliding direction is kept the same.

Abstract: A sectioning instrument fabricates a section having an accurate and uniform thickness to be carried to a next step automatically without deforming a surface of an embedded block and while observing the surface of the embedded block. The sectioning instrument includes a sample base for fixing an embedded block, a cutter for fabricating a section by sectioning the embedded block, a carrier for carrying the section, and a feed mechanism for moving the sample base in a predetermined feed direction. The carrier includes a belt, a direction switching portion provided on an upper side of the cutter, and a rear roller. The belt is inserted to between the cutter and the direction switching portion from a rear side of the cutter, folded back to an upper side by the direction switching portion and is reeled back to the rear side of the cutter by the rear roller substantially in parallel with the feed direction of the feed mechanism in a plane view.

Abstract: An automatic slicing apparatus reduces the likelihood of failure to make a sliced piece specimen even if continuously operated. The apparatus, on the basis of an exchange command signal, detaches a sample block attached to a cutting base and attaches a new sample block to the cutting base. The apparatus cuts a sliced piece of a predetermined thickness by moving a knife with respect to the sample block having been attached to the cutting base. The apparatus also observes the sliced piece having been cut and judges the sliced piece by comparing an observation data obtained by the observation means and a sample block cut face data. When the apparatus judges that the sliced piece is good, the apparatus transmits an exchange command signal.

Abstract: Thin-section slide samples are manufactured from respective embedding blocks containing a biological sample and held in an embedding cassette having imprinted thereon individual data. The embedding cassette is transported to a cutting position where an embedding block is cut into sheet-like thin sections, and the individual data is read out. Each of thin sections is flattened and transferred onto a substrate to form a thin-section slide sample. A memory part stores the individual data read out and a condition table into which is input manufacturing conditions for manufacturing the thin sections. Thereafter, it is evaluated whether or not each of the thin sections is prepared in accordance with the manufacturing conditions input into the condition table.

Abstract: A thin-section conveyor apparatus for transporting thin sections that have been prepared by thinly cutting an embedded block, which transports the thin sections to a liquid bath by mounting them on the upper plane of a conveyor belt having a longitudinal linear body extended along the direction of transportation and a transverse linear body disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal linear body, provided that the density of the transverse linear body for the part on which the thin sections are to be mounted is lower than that of the transverse linear body of the other places. It provides thin sections almost free of entraining bubbles. A thin-section scooping tool and a method for transporting thin sections are also proposed.

Abstract: A thin-section slide-sample manufacturing apparatus and a method for manufacturing a thin-section slide sample by cutting out a thin section from an embedded block, transporting the thin section on a conveyor unit, transferring and mounting the thin section on a substrate, the thin-section slide-sample manufacturing apparatus including: a relay having a fixing plane onto which the thin section is fixed detachable; a rotating transportation unit which moves the relay between the conveyor unit and the substrate; and a control unit which moves the relay to the conveyor unit by using the rotating transportation unit, which moves the relay to the substrate where the thin section is detached and transferred to the substrate; wherein, the control unit rotates the relay according to the preliminarily set fixing plane and the relative position of the thin section around a rotation axis provided orthogonal to the fixing plane by using the rotating transportation unit.

Abstract: To fabricate automatically a high quality sliced piece by preventing a temperature change of a surface of an enveloped block, there is provided an automatic sliced piece fabricating apparatus including a fixed base for mounting to fix an enveloped block, cutting means including a cut blade arranged on the fixed base for cutting out a sliced piece from the enveloped block by moving the cut blade and the fixed base relative to each other, a cabinet for containing the fixed base and the cutting means at inside thereof, sliced piece carrying means for carrying the cut-out sliced piece to outside of the cabinet, and temperature adjusting means for adjusting at least a surrounding temperature of the enveloped block to a predetermined temperature by supplying cold wind a temperature of which is controlled from outside at inside of the cabinet.

Abstract: To enable to alleviate a burden on an operator and fabricate automatically an optimum and high quality prepared slide in accordance with a kind of an embedding block, there is provided an automatic prepared slide fabricating apparatus including first carrying means capable of carrying an embedding cassette to a cut position, cutting means for cutting out a section in a sheet-like shape by cutting an embedding block by a predetermined thickness after having been carried to the cut position, elongating means for elongating the section, second carrying means for carrying the cut section to the elongating means, transcribing means for transcribing the elongated section onto a board to fabricate a prepared slide, and controlling means for respectively controlling the respective means and having a condition table previously inputted with a fabricating condition in fabricating the prepared slide, in which the controlling means controls the respective means such that the embedding cassette carried by the first carryi

Abstract: An automatic thin-section slides manufacturing system which reduces the burden of operators and automatically manufactures required number of thin section slide samples from plural embedded blocks while completely relating the manufactured thin section slide samples to the original embedded blocks to enable quality control at high precision, which comprises: a first transportation unit which is capable of transporting an arbitrarily selected embedded cassette from the plural embedded cassettes to the cutting position; a cutting unit which, after the embedded cassette is transported to the cutting position, cuts the embedded block to provide sheet-like thin sections at a predetermined thickness; a readout unit which reads out the individual data when the embedded cassette is transported to the cutting position; a flattening unit for flattening the thin section, which comprises a storage tank containing a liquid stored therein; a second transportation unit which transports the thin sections cut out by the cutti

Abstract: The container comprises a cylindrical member 20 which constitutes the side wall member, a bottom member 30 which is in contact with the bottom plane of the cylindrical member 20 and which constitutes the bottom part, and an engaged fixing part 35 for engaging the cylindrical member 20 with the bottom member 30; the cylindrical member 20 and the bottom member 30 sandwiches the carrier tape T from one side T1 of the carrier tape T and from the other side T2 of the carrier tape T, respectively, such that one of the plural thing section samples P1 may be disposed inside the cylindrical member 20. Accordingly, without cutting a sequence of tapes carrying thereon the thin section samples of biomedical tissues, each of the thin section samples of the biomedical tissues can be individually processed with different chemicals depending on the required observation for various types of biomedical tissues.

Abstract: An apparatus that slices an embedded block having a biological sample embedded therein to prepare a thin section, includes: a cutter that slices the embedded block; a moving mechanism that relatively moves the block and the cutter along an approaching and separating direction in which they approach and separate from each other; a height adjusting mechanism that relatively moves them along a vertical direction; a sliding mechanism that relatively moves them along a sliding direction nearly orthogonal to the approaching and separating direction; and a control unit that controls them to begin to move at initial positions set in advance, the block to be brought into contact at the same point of a nose of the cutter, and the cutter to be slid in the same direction as a ratio between a velocity in the approaching and separating direction and a velocity in the sliding direction is kept the same.

Abstract: An embedded block is capable of being humidified in a short time without influencing a surface temperature of the embedded block as much as possible. An embedded block humidifier for humidifying an embedded block having a biological specimen embedded in an embedding agent is provided which includes a vapor generating mechanism for generating vapor heated at a predetermined temperature and a guiding mechanism for guiding the vapor to the embedded block so that the generated vapor contacts with a surface of the embedded block set at a predetermined standby position.

Abstract: A thin section preparing apparatus is provided, which prepares a thin section from an embedded block having a biological sample embedded and carries it, including: a cutter that slices the block at a pull angle; an approaching and separating mechanism that relatively moves the block and the cutter along an approaching and separating direction; a carrying mechanism having a carrying body arranged as one end side is near a nose, and a moving unit that moves the body along a transport direction; a sliding mechanism that relatively moves the block and the body along a nose direction; and a control unit that controls a combined velocity vector that combines a transport velocity vector of the body along the transport direction with a travel velocity vector of the body along the nose direction to be nearly equal to a block velocity vector of the embedded block along the approaching and separating direction.