Pathological tissue image capturing system, method, and program

A pathological tissue image capturing system comprising:

• a pathological image acquirer for capturing a pathological tissue image;
• an output device for outputting said pathological tissue image;
• a weighting device for detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• and
• a range selector for selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added by said weighting device;
• wherein said pathological image acquirer captures an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected by said range selector;
• said output device outputs the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• and wherein:
• said pathological tissue image capturing system further comprises a cancer detector for detecting a region suspected of a cancer in said pathological tissue image;
• said pathological image acquirer captures the pathological tissue image at such a magnification that a pattern of cell nuclei in a tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide can be recognized;
• said weighting device adds values of calculated densities of the region suspected of the cancer which is detected from said pathological tissue image by said cancer detector, as weights of density respectively to said pixels;
• and
• said range selector selects one of the pixels which has a maximum one of the weights of density in said pathological tissue image and selects a prescribed range having the selected pixel at an upper left origin thereof as said enlarged image capturing range.

A pathological tissue image capturing method to be carried out by a pathological tissue image capturing system for capturing and outputting a pathological tissue image, comprising:

• an image capturing step of capturing a pathological tissue image;
• a weighting step of detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• a range selecting step of selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added in said weighting step;
• an enlarged image capturing step of capturing an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected in said range selecting step;
• an output step of outputting the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• wherein:
• said pathological capturing step captures said pathological tissue image at such a magnification that an entire tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide is included in a microscopic field of vision;
• said weighing step calculates, for each pixel in said pathological tissue image, densities of cell nuclei contained in the prescribed range around the pixel, and adds values representing the calculated densities of cell nuclei, as a weight to the pixel;
• and
• said range selecting step selects, from among the pixels, a pixel to which a maximum weight has been added by said weighing device, and selects the prescribed range around the selected pixel as said enlarged image capturing range.

A pathological tissue image capturing method to be carried out by a pathological tissue imaging capturing system for capturing and outputting pathological tissue image, comprising:

• an image capturing step of capturing a pathological tissue image;
• a weighting step of detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• a range selecting step of selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added in said weighting step;
• an enlarged image capturing step of capturing an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected in said range selecting step;
• and
• an output step of outputting the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• wherein:
• said pathological tissue image capturing method further includes a cancer detecting step of detecting a region suspected of a cancer in said pathological tissue image;
• said image capturing step captures the pathological tissue image at such a magnification that a pattern of cell nuclei in a tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide can be recognized;
• said weighting step adds values of calculated densities of the region suspected of the cancer which is detected from said pathological tissue image by said cancer detecting step, as weights of density respectively to said pixels;
• and
• said range selecting step selects one of the pixels which has a maximum one of the weights of density in said pathological tissue image and selects a prescribed range having the selected pixel at an upper left origin thereof as said enlarged image capturing range.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a pathological tissue image capturing program for a pathological tissue image capturing system for capturing and outputting a pathological tissue image, said program causing a computer to execute:

• an image capturing process for capturing a pathological tissue image;
• a weighting process for detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• a range selecting process for selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added in said weighting process;
• an enlarged image capturing process for capturing an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected in said range selecting process;
• an output process for outputting the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• wherein:
• said pathological capturing process captures said pathological tissue image at such a magnification that an entire tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide is included in a microscopic field of vision;
• said weighing process calculates, for each pixel in said pathological tissue image, densities of cell nuclei contained in the prescribed range around the pixel, and adds values representing the calculated densities of cell nuclei, as a weight to the pixel;
• and said range selecting process selects, from among the pixels, a pixel to which a maximum weight has been added by said weighing device, and selects the prescribed range around the selected pixel as said enlarged image capturing range.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a pathological tissue image capturing program for a pathological tissue image capturing system for capturing and outputting a pathological tissue image, said program causing a computer to execute:

• an image capturing process for capturing a pathological tissue image;
• a weighting process for detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• a range selecting process for selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added in said weighting process;
• an enlarged image capturing process for capturing an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected in said range selecting process;
• an output process for outputting the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• wherein:
• said program further causes said computer to execute a cancer detecting process for detecting a region suspected of a cancer from in said pathological tissue image;
• said image capturing process captures the pathological tissue image at such a magnification that a pattern of cell nuclei in a tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide can be recognized;
• said weighting process adds values of calculated densities of the region suspected of the cancer which is detected from said pathological tissue image by said cancer detecting process, as weights of density respectively to said pixels;
• and said range selecting process selects one of the pixels which has a maximum one of the weights of density in said pathological tissue image and selects a prescribed range having the selected pixel at an upper left origin thereof as said enlarged image capturing range.

A pathological tissue image capturing system comprising:

• a pathological image acquirer for capturing a pathological tissue image;
• an output device for outputting said pathological tissue image;
• a weighting device for detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• and
• a range selector for selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added by said weighting device;
• wherein:
• said pathological image acquirer captures an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected by said range selector;
• and
• said output device outputs the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• and wherein:
• said pathological image acquirer captures said pathological tissue image at such a magnification that an entire tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide is included in a microscopic field of vision;
• said weighing device adds values indicative of the calculated densities of cell nuclei in said pathological tissue image as weights respectively to the pixels;
• and
• said range selector selects one of the pixels which has a maximum one of the weights added by said weighing device and selects a prescribed range around the selected pixel as said enlarged image capturing range;
• and wherein:
• said weighting device converts said pathological tissue image into a grayscale pathological tissue image based on values of cyan, smoothes the grayscale pathological tissue image, detects edges in the smoothed grayscale pathological tissue image, generates a gradation image from the pathological tissue image based on values of the detected edges, calculates an average value of the values of the edges of pixels included in the prescribed ranges around pixels in the gradation image, and regarding the calculated average value as values of the weights of the pixels.

A pathological tissue image capturing method to be carried out by a pathological tissue image capturing system for capturing and outputting a pathological tissue image, comprising:

• an image capturing step of capturing a pathological tissue image;
• a weighting step of detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• a range selecting step of selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added in said weighting step;
• an enlarged image capturing step of capturing an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected in said range selecting step;
• and
• an output step of outputting the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• wherein said image capturing step captures said pathological tissue image at such a magnification that an entire tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide is included in a microscopic field of vision;
• said weighing step adds values indicative of the calculated densities of cell nuclei in said pathological tissue image as weights respectively to the pixels;
• said range selecting step selects one of the pixels which has a maximum one of the weights added by said weighing step and selects a prescribed range around the selected pixel as said enlarged image capturing range;
• and
• said weighting step converts said pathological tissue image into a grayscale pathological tissue image based on values of cyan, smoothes the grayscale pathological tissue image, detects edges in the smoothed grayscale pathological tissue image, generates a gradation image from the pathological tissue image based on values of the detected edges, calculates an average value of the values of the edges of pixels included in the prescribed ranges around pixels in the gradation image, and regarding the calculated average value as values of the weights of the pixels.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a pathological tissue image capturing program for a pathological tissue image capturing system for capturing and outputting a pathological tissue image, said program causing a computer to execute:

• an image capturing process for capturing a pathological tissue image;
• a weighting process for detecting a ROI from said pathological tissue image and adding a weight to pixels positioned in the ROI;
• a range selecting process for selecting an enlarged image capturing range in which to capture said pathological tissue image at an enlarged scale based on the weight added in said weighting process;
• an enlarged image capturing process for capturing an enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range selected in said range selecting process;
• and an output process for outputting the captured enlarged pathological tissue image in the enlarged image capturing range;
• wherein said image capturing process captures said pathological tissue image at such a magnification that an entire tissue sample on a pathological tissue slide is included in a microscopic field of vision;
• said weighing process adds values indicative of the calculated densities of cell nuclei in said pathological tissue image as weights respectively to the pixels;
• said range selecting process selects one of the pixels which has a maximum one of the weights added by said weighing process and selects a prescribed range around the selected pixel as said enlarged image capturing range;
• and said weighting process converts said pathological tissue image into a grayscale pathological tissue image based on values of cyan, smoothes the grayscale pathological tissue image, detects edges in the smoothed grayscale pathological tissue image, generates a gradation image from the pathological tissue image based on values of the detected edges, calculates an average value of the values of the edges of pixels included in the prescribed ranges around pixels in the gradation image, and regarding the calculated average value as values of the weights of the pixels.