System and method for calculating focus variation for a digital microscope

Apparatus comprising:

• a digital microscope comprising:
• a memory configured to obtain data representative of at least one image of at least a portion of a cell sample, wherein the portion encompasses at least one mapping field, and at least one diagnostic field, the at least one diagnostic field being different from the at least one mapping field;
• and
• a computer processor configured to:
• calculate, using the obtained data, data indicative of focus variation within the at least one mapping field,
• capture at least one image of the at least one diagnostic field,
• detect an entity within the sample by analyzing the at least one captured image of the at least one diagnostic field, and
• use the calculated data that are indicative of focus variation within the at least one mapping field as an input for performing an action selected from the group consisting of:
• (a) controlling the capturing of the at least one image of the at least one diagnostic field, and (b) analyzing the at least one captured image of the at least one diagnostic field.

A method, comprising:

• obtaining, in a memory comprised in or operatively coupled to a digital microscope, data representative of at least one image of at least a portion of a cell sample, the at least one image acquired by a digital microscope;
• using the obtained data, calculating focus configurations to be used for acquiring images of the cell sample or parts thereof by the digital microscope;
• determining that a calculated focus configuration exceeds a given threshold;
• and
• in response thereto, generating an error message indicative of an error selected from the group consisting of:
• an error in the microscope, an error in the sample carrier, an error in positioning of the sample carrier with respect to a portion of the microscope, and an error in the cell sample.