# US 8,786,720 B2 · Biological specimen observation method

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- Number: US 8,786,720 B2
- Document ID: US8786720B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 12/332,540
- Filed: 2008-12-11
- Published: 2009-06-25
- Granted: 2014-07-22
- Earliest claimed: 2007-12-21
- Assignees: Olympus Corporation
- Applicants: Masahiro Oba; Nobuyuki Nagasawa
- Inventors: Masahiro Oba; Nobuyuki Nagasawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8786720B2

## CPC

- G06T 5/50: using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction
- G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection}
- G06V 10/10: Image acquisition (document image scanning and transmission H04N1/00; control of digital cameras H04N23/60)
- H04N 23/72: Combination of two or more compensation controls
- H04N 23/951: by using two or more images to influence resolution, frame rate or aspect ratio
- G06T 2207/20221: Image fusion; Image merging
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

When a biological specimen, such as living cells, biological tissue, or a small animal, is quantitatively observed, the specimen is observed for a long time or over a long period, while maintaining the quantitative properties. Provided is an observation method of observing luminescence or fluorescence emitted from a biological specimen. The observation method includes a referring step of referring to image data previously acquired; an intensity determining step of determining whether the intensity of the image data previously acquired is saturated; an exposure dividing step of dividing the exposure of the image data previously acquired one time into a plurality of exposures when the intensity is determined as being saturated in the intensity determining step; an image acquiring step of acquiring images the same number of times as the number of divided exposures; and an integrating step of integrating the images separately acquired multiple times into a single image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An observation method of observing luminescence or fluorescence emitted from a biological specimen, comprising:
a referring step of referring to image data previously acquired;
an intensity determining step of determining whether the intensity of the image data previously acquired is saturated;
an exposure dividing step of dividing the exposure of the image data previously acquired one time into a plurality of exposures and setting a single exposure time on the basis of divided times of the exposures, when the intensity is determined as being saturated in the intensity determining step;
an image acquiring step of acquiring images same number of times as the number of divided exposures with the single exposure time set in the exposure dividing step; and
an integrating step of integrating the images separately acquired in the image acquiring step into a single image having a number of bits in pixel values that is larger than a number of bits in pixel values of each of the images separately acquired.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The observation method of observing luminescence or fluorescence emitted from a biological specimen of claim 1, wherein the intensity determining step determines whether the intensity of the image data previously acquired is higher than a predetermined intensity value.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The observation method of observing luminescence or fluorescence emitted from a biological specimen of claim 2, wherein the predetermined intensity value is 90% of maximum intensity.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The observation method of observing luminescence or fluorescence emitted from a biological specimen of claim 1, wherein
in the exposure dividing step, the exposure of the image data previously acquired one time are divided into a plurality of exposures so as to acquire images a plurality of times, and
in the image acquiring step, all of the images are acquired repeatedly with the single exposure time set in the exposure dividing step.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The observation method of observing luminescence or fluorescence emitted from a biological specimen of claim 1, wherein an image acquirer is fixed relative to the biological specimen.