Cytological imaging systems and methods
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for marking a specimen, the apparatus comprising:
- an optical instrument;
a marker coupled to the optical instrument and disposed outside a field of view of the optical instrument; and
a stage coupled to the optical instrument for receiving the specimen and moving the specimen between an inspection position in an optical path of the optical instrument and a marking position for marking the specimen with the marker.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to the analysis of specimens. Specifically, the invention relates to methods and apparatus for reviewing specimen slides, including apparatus for holding the slides. The invention also relates to an automatic focusing method for an imaging system and methods for accommodating vibration in the imaging system. In particular, the methods and apparatus may be applied to the automated analysis of cytological specimen slides.
165 Citations
101 Claims
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1. An apparatus for marking a specimen, the apparatus comprising:
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an optical instrument;
a marker coupled to the optical instrument and disposed outside a field of view of the optical instrument; and
a stage coupled to the optical instrument for receiving the specimen and moving the specimen between an inspection position in an optical path of the optical instrument and a marking position for marking the specimen with the marker. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of marking a specimen, the method comprising the steps of:
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positioning an object of interest within the specimen to a marking position;
contacting the specimen with a marker; and
actuating the specimen to create indicia thereon at least partially bounding the object of interest. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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33. An automated method of reviewing a specimen, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) loading the specimen in an optical instrument;
(b) locating a first datum mark on the specimen;
(c) locating a second datum mark on the specimen;
(d) establishing a coordinate system based, at least in part, on the first and second datum marks;
(e) positioning the specimen to present a first field of interest;
(f) moving to a next field of interest; and
(g) repeating step (f) until a predetermined number of fields of interest are presented. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A method of compensating for vibration errors in an imaging system, the method comprising the steps of:
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acquiring vibration measurements of the imaging system while scanning portions of a specimen; and
re-imaging a portion of the specimen where the vibration measurement for the portion exceeded a predetermined threshold. - View Dependent Claims (55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A slide holder assembly comprising:
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a base;
a first platform movably disposed on the base;
a second platform disposed on the first platform and including a slide receiving area;
a slide positioning member operatively connected to the second platform; and
a mechanism disposed on the base for actuating the slide positioning member. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78)
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79. An automatic focusing method for an optical system comprising the step of establishing a global focal plane comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining an index axis coordinate, a scan axis coordinate, and a focus axis coordinate corresponding to each of three non-collinear locations on a slide; and
(b) determining a numerical representation of the global focal plane using the index axis coordinates, the scan axis coordinates, and the focus axis coordinates. - View Dependent Claims (80)
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81. An automatic focusing method for an optical system comprising the step of performing a scan pass comprising the steps of:
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(a) determining a first coordinate that provides a focus value within a predetermined range of an optimal focus value for a first position on a slide substantially corresponding to a first point on a surface substantially corresponding to the surface of the slide;
(b) moving an element of the optical system relative to the surface of the slide to a position substantially corresponding to the first coordinate; and
(c) recording the first coordinate corresponding to the first point. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 96)
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95. An automatic focusing method for an optical system comprising the steps of:
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(a) establishing a global focal surface;
(b) determining whether a point substantially corresponding to a position located on an area of interest of a slide lies within at least one previously determined area of fine focus jurisdiction;
(c) determining a coordinate that provides a focus value within a predetermined range of an optimal focus value for the position on the slide;
(d) imaging a region surrounding the position; and
(e) repeating at least steps (b) through (d) until substantially all of the area of interest is imaged. - View Dependent Claims (98)
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97. An automatic focusing method for an optical system comprising the step of determining an efficient order of presentation of fields of interest on a slide using an algorithm.
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99. An automatic focusing method for an optical system comprising the steps of:
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(a) performing an initial coarse focus at a first position substantially corresponding to a first point on a surface substantially corresponding to the surface of a slide; and
(b) subsequently performing a plurality of subsequent fine focuses at different positions, wherein each of the fine focuses are performed more quickly than the initial coarse focus. - View Dependent Claims (100, 101)
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Specification