Method and apparatus for image plane modulation pattern recognition
AssigneeNeoPath, Inc.
InventorsShih-Jong J. Lee, William E. Ortyn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The detection of optical stripes on an image of a glass slide of material of interest. An automated microscope system with an illuminator having a spatial intensity homogenizer provides spatially uniform illumination of a microscope slide specimen. Periodic optical patterns formed from the illumination system are detected by a computer system. The computer forms a high transmission mask of an image of the biological specimen. Edges in the image are detected and a low transmission area process is performed. Horizontal stripes are enhanced. A final thresholding generates a binary image of the patterns. Stripes in the patterns are detected an a stripe flag and strip area are calculated.
Claims33
A method for automatic determination of a condition of a microscope slide coverslip, wherein the microscope slide coverslip covers a specimen, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) generating periodically structured light;
- (b) illuminating the microscope slide with the periodically structured light;
- (c) obtaining a digital representation of the specimen;
- (d) recognizing at least one periodic modulation pattern in the digital representation;
- by detecting at least one stripe region in the digital representation and measuring an area of the at least one strip region;
- and
- (e) processing the at least one periodic modulation pattern to determine the condition of the microscope slide coverslip.
A method for automatic determination of a condition of a microscope slide coverslip, wherein the microscope slide coverslip covers a specimen, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) generating periodically structured light;
- (b) illuminating the microscope slide with the periodically structured light;
- (c) obtaining a digital representation of the specimen;
- (d) recognizing at least one periodic modulation pattern in the digital representation;
- and
- (e) processing the at least one periodic modulation pattern to determine the condition of the microscope slide coverslip further including the step of determining an area in pixels of the at least one periodic pattern.
An apparatus for determining a condition of a microscope slide coverslip, wherein the microscope slide covers a specimen, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) means for illuminating the microscope slide with periodically structured light comprising angular intensity variations;
- (b) means for obtaining a digital representation of specimen having a digital representation output;
- (c) means for recognizing at least one periodic modulation pattern in the digital representation output further comprising a means for detecting at least one stripe region in the digital representation, and a means for measuring an area of the at least one stripe region;
- and
- (d) means for determining a condition of the microscope slide coverslip connected to the digital representation output, wherein the means for determining further comprises a means for processing the at least one periodic modulation pattern to determine a condition of the microscope slide coverslip, and wherein the means for determining has a microscope slide coverslip condition output.
An apparatus for detecting a condition of a microscope slide coverslip, wherein the microscope slide coverslip covers a specimen, the apparatus comprising:
- (a) a light source for providing light;
- (b) a first lens positioned to image the light source so as to produce an image;
- (c) a light pipe having an input aperture an output aperture, wherein the input aperture is located to receive light and the output aperture provides periodically structured light comprising angular intensity variations to illuminate the microscope slide coverslip;
- (d) a second lens to image the output aperture on the microscope slide coverslip;
- (e) means for checking for at least one periodic modulation pattern in the image of the specimen;
- and
- (f) means for relating the condition of the microscope slide coverslip to the at least one periodic modulation pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.