Automatic structure determination

A procedure for automated optical analysis of two and/or three dimensional structures of chemical and/or biological samples in a sample holder, comprising:

• generating an electronic image of two and/or three dimensional structures present in the sample by an electro-optical unit of an analytical apparatus for automated optical analysis of chemical and/or biological samples, the analytical apparatus also comprising:
• a sample holder introducing the sample to be studied,
• a sensing unit,
• a data storage medium for storage of the image,
• a computer controlled sliding device for enabling optical focusing,
• an electronic database containing stored two and three dimensional structures,
• a processing unit for comparison and categorization of electro-optically generated images of two and/or three dimensional structures using structures present in the database,
• an output unit for the structures categorized in the comparison, wherein the computer controlled sliding device is configured to use contrast analysis and color value detection to control the distance between the sample and the electro-optical unit,
• a device casing with a baseplate,
• a microscope,
• a worktable for accepting samples that is horizontally aligned with the baseplate,
• a sample manipulator located above the worktable attached to a horizontally extending support arm with a horizontally screw-driven carriage, and
• a movable hollow-needle system attached to the carriage that moves in a vertical Z-direction and has three hollow-needles separated by a distance selected as small enough to enable all three needles with their hollow-needle tips to be positioned and inserted in the same receptacle or well at the same time;
• storing the generated electronic image in the data storage medium;
• optimally focusing by altering the distance between the sample and the electro-optical unit using the computer driven sliding device, the sliding device being controlled based on the contrast analysis and the color value detection;
• comparing two and/or three dimensional structures of the generated image with known structures present in the database;
• and
• capturing images of the two and/or three dimensional structures of the generated image that the electro-optical unit categorizes using algorithms according to characteristic grids, structures or patterns.