METHOD FOR GENERATING A VIRTUAL MODEL OF A BIOLOGICAL OBJECT AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING SAME

摘要

The invention relates to a method for generating a virtual model of a biological object, that comprises instantly freezing a biological object at cryogenic temperatures and fixing the same in a volumetric figure by freezing a filler material in order to form a blank, dividing the blank in a closed space into a plurality of layers by sequential milling with a pitch not exceeding 50 µm, and obtaining in a digital format an image of each surface of the blank formed after the completion of each milling pitch. The image thus obtained is fed into a digital-image processing unit in order to obtain a virtual representation of each layer, the virtual representations thus obtained of the plurality of layers are combined, and the image of the filler material is removed until a virtual model of the biological object is obtained. The device for implementing the method of the invention comprises a base (19) on which are mounted a blank holding unit (2), a rotating mechanism (3) including cutting members in the form of a mill (6) and adapted for dividing the blank (10) into layers, and a cooling compartment (4) in which the blank holding unit (2) is arranged so as to be capable of linear movements in the longitudinal direction and of discrete linear movements in the transverse direction. The device further includes means (20) for generating digital images of the blank, a unit (27) for processing the digital images of the blank, and a control unit (26) to which are connected the rotating mechanism (3), the mechanism (11) for the linear movements of the blank holding unit in the longitudinal direction, the mechanism (13) for the discrete linear movements of the blank holding unit in the transverse direction, and the means (20) for generating digital images of the blank. The present invention makes it possible to exclude any deformation of the structure and of the shape of the biological object, and to produce a reliable volumetric three-dimensional reconstruction of any biological object independently from the density of the tissues thereof and from the uniformity of their structure.