Real-time focusing in a slide-scanning system
AssigneeLeica Biosystems Imaging, Inc.
InventorsAllen H. Olson, Yunlu Zou, Bharat Annaldas, Leng-Chun Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Real-time focusing in a slide-scanning system. In an embodiment, focus points are added to an initialized focus map while acquiring a plurality of image stripes of a sample on a glass slide. For each image stripe, a plurality of frames, collectively representing the image stripe, may be acquired using both an imaging line-scan camera and a tilted focusing line-scan camera. Focus points, representing positions of best focus for trusted frames, are added to the focus map. Outlying focus points are removed from the focus map. In some cases, one or more image stripes may be reacquired. Finally, the image stripes are assembled into a composite image of the sample.
Claims18
A scanning system, comprising:
- an imaging line-scan camera;
- and
- at least one hardware processor configured to execute computer-executable instructions to at least perform the process of:
- acquiring image stripes of at least a portion of a sample on a glass slide by acquiring frames representing the image stripe using both the imaging line-scan camera and a tilted focusing line-scan camera;
- adding focus points to a focus map representing positions of best focus of acquired frames to a focus map while acquiring the image stripe,
- wherein the image stripes are acquired by acquiring a reference stripe extending along a scan axis, a position of the reference stripe corresponding to a region identified with a tissue-finding algorithm having the most tissue relative to other regions, acquiring image stripes in sequence from a first side of the reference stripe to a first edge of a scan area of the sample, and acquiring image stripes in sequence from a second side of the reference stripe, which is opposite the first side of the reference stripe, to a second edge of the scan area, which is opposite the first edge of the scan area, the acquired image stripes extending along the scan axis and offset relative to the reference stripe and each other image stripe along a separate stripe acquisition axis;
- determining whether or not to re-acquire one or more of the image stripes based on the focus map;
- and
- assembling the acquired image stripes into a composite image.
A non-transitory computer readable medium for acquiring an image, the computer readable medium having program instructions for causing a hardware processor to perform a method of:
- acquiring image stripes of at least a portion of a sample on a glass slide by acquiring frames representing the image stripe using both an imaging line-scan camera and a tilted focusing line-scan camera;
- adding focus points to a focus map representing positions of best focus of acquired frames to a focus map while acquiring the image stripe, wherein the image stripes are acquired by acquiring a reference stripe having the most tissue relative to a plurality of other image stripes identified using a tissue-finding algorithm, acquiring image stripes in sequence from a first side of the reference stripe to a first edge of a scan area of the sample, and acquiring image stripes in sequence from a second side of the reference stripe, which is opposite the first side of the reference stripe, to a second edge of the scan area, which is opposite the first edge of the scan area, the acquired image stripes extending along a scan axis and offset relative to each other image stripe along a stripe acquisition axis separate from the scan axis;
- determining whether or not to re-acquire one or more of the image stripes based on the focus map;
- and
- assembling the acquired image stripes into a composite image.
A method of acquiring an image, the method comprising:
- acquiring image stripes of at least a portion of a sample on a glass slide by acquiring frames representing the image stripe using both an imaging line-scan camera and a tilted focusing line-scan camera;
- adding focus points to a focus map representing positions of best focus of acquired frames to a focus map while acquiring the image stripe, wherein the image stripes are acquired by acquiring a reference stripe from a location identified by a tissue-finding algorithm, the location identified by the tissue-finding algorithm having the most tissue among a plurality of other locations, acquiring image stripes in sequence from a first side of the reference stripe to a first edge of a scan area of the sample, and acquiring image stripes in sequence from a second side of the reference stripe, which is opposite the first side of the reference stripe, to a second edge of the scan area, which is opposite the first edge of the scan area, the acquired image stripes extending along a scan axis and offset relative to each other image stripe along a stripe acquisition axis separate from the scan axis;
- determining whether or not to re-acquire one or more of the image stripes based on the focus map;
- and
- assembling the acquired image stripes into a composite image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.