Method and apparatus for acquiring and reconstructing magnified specimen images from a computer-controlled microscope

A method of viewing digitized images biological specimens acquired from a computer-controlled microscope, comprising:

• scanning and digitizing a first series of adjacent fields of view through a microscope objective lens of a low magnification and acquiring stage coordinate information for aligning edges of adjacent fields of view when displayed, and providing a first series of digitized adjacent field of view images;
• arranging and positioning the adjacent field of view images and using the stage coordinate information forming therefrom a composite, macro image in color of the specimen having a field of view larger than that of the objective lens;
• scanning and digitizing a second series of adjacent fields of view through a microscope objective lens from the same microscope but of a higher magnification and acquiring stage coordinate information for aligning edges of adjacent fields of view when displayed, and providing a second series of adjacent digitized field of view images;
• arranging and positioning the adjacent field of view images at high magnification using the stage coordinate information and forming therefrom a composite, colored micro image of the segment having a field of view larger than that of the high magnification objective lens;
• and
• displaying to the observer both the colored composite macro image and the colored micro image each having a field of view substantially larger than its respective objective lens.

A method of acquiring and analyzing biological specimens, comprising:

• providing a biological specimen in position for scanning through the computer-controlled microscope;
• scanning and digitizing adjacent optical fields of view of at least a large portion of the biological specimen through the microscope at a first, low magnification and acquiring and storing digitized images of the adjacent optical fields of view from the specimen in color;
• displaying the stored, low magnification, digitized images in sensing registration at their respective edges and in color to an observer to provide a macro image for viewing by the observer;
• selecting a segment of the colored, digitized, low magnification image for viewing at a higher magnification than the low magnification;
• scanning the segment and digitizing adjacent fields of view at a higher magnification and reconstructing therefrom a colored digitized, micro image of the portion of the segment at the higher magnification;
• displaying the higher magnification colored digitized images in sensing registration at their respective edges of the segment at the higher magnification to provide a micro image of the segment;
• making available to the view of the observer simultaneously, the respective micro and the macro images;
• and
• the viewer shifting back and forth between the macro and micro images in the course of performing a pathological analysis of the specimen from the digitized high magnification micro image.

A microscopic system for analyzing a specimen and a segment of the specimen, said apparatus comprising:

• a microscope having a plurality of objective lens to acquire images at different magnifications;
• a computer-controlled light illumination subsystem on the microscope for adjusting light illumination for different magnifications;
• a computer-controlled, focusing subsystem on the microscope for adjusting the focus for different magnifications;
• a computer-controlled X and Y stage system having a closed loop to position the specimen to be viewed at specified X and Y coordinates;
• an imaging subsystem connected to a microscope to acquire and digitize the images of the specimen;
• a first optical system and image acquisition and storing system having a first objective lens to acquire, arrange, and store a series of adjacent images at a low magnification to provide a composite, reconstructed, macro digitized image of the specimen having a field of view larger than the field of view from the objective lens used for the low magnification acquisition of images with the series of images and information for sensing registration of the images at their respective edges;
• a second optical and image acquisition and storing system having a second, higher magnification objective lens to acquire, arrange, and store a series of adjacent images at higher magnification and to provide a composite, reconstructed, micro view image of the segment having a field of view larger than the field of view from the higher magnification objective lens with the series of images and information for sensing registration of the images at their respective edges;
• a display screen device to display the composite micro or composite macro images on the display screen device, each of said composite macro and micro images having their respective series of images in sensing registration at their respective edges;
• and
• an X and Y storage device for storing locations of the series of images and information for sensing registration at their respective edges.