Printed slide for identifying reference focal plane for light microscopy
AssigneeTechcyte, Inc.
InventorsBenjamin Cahoon, Shane Swenson, Benjamin S. Larson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, methods, and devices for identifying a reference focal surface in connection with light microscopy. A method includes identifying a fiducial marker printed on a surface of a coverslip or a slide used in connection with optical microscopy. The method includes focusing the optical microscope on the fiducial marker to calculate a focal distance of the fiducial marker. The method includes calculating a reference focal surface defining the surface of the coverslip or the slide based on the focal distance of the fiducial marker.
Claims20
A method for locating a position of a sample to be visualized with an optical microscope, the method comprising:
- capturing an overview image of a slide underneath the sample by imaging the slide with a camera, wherein the overview image depicts an entirety of the slide;
- identifying a fiducial marker captured in the overview image by processing the overview image with one or more computer-executed programs, wherein the fiducial marker is printed on a surface of the slide;
- in response to identifying the fiducial marker in the overview image, determining x-axis coordinates and y-axis coordinates indicating a location of the fiducial marker;
- focusing the optical microscope on the fiducial marker;
- in response to focusing the optical microscope on the fiducial marker, calculating a focal distance of the fiducial marker, wherein the focal distance is a z-axis coordinate indicating the location of the fiducial marker;
- and
- calculating with the one or more computer-executed programs a reference focal surface defining the surface of the slide based at least in part on the x-axis coordinates, y-axis coordinates, and z-axis coordinates indicating the location of the fiducial marker.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.