Method and apparatus for acquiring digital microscope images

• US 20040119817A1
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Source Bioscience PLC
• Original Assignee: Source Bioscience PLC
• Inventors: Clinch, Noah F., Maddison, John R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,388,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/79
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/367 providing an output produced by processing a plurality of individual source images, e.g. image tiling, montage, composite images, depth sectioning, image comparison

Abstract

A method and apparatus for acquiring digital microscope images is disclosed, in which a plurality of magnified images of a specimen are captured for tiling together to provide an overall composite image of the specimen. In accordance with the described method, the specimen is moved relative to an imaging system comprising a microscope and camera in a predetermined path whilst the plurality of magnified images are captured. In a preferred embodiment, the specimen, contained on a slide, is mounted on a movable microscope stage, and is moved beneath the microscope in the predetermined path. The velocity of the movement of the stage and the shutter speed of the camera is computer controlled to capture overlapping, clear images.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring image data representing an image of at least part of microscope specimen using an imaging system, the method comprising moving the specimen relative to the imaging system in a predetermined path, whilst capturing a plurality of magnified images of the specimen.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which each of the plurality of images comprises an image of the field of view of the imaging system.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the step of capturing a plurality of images comprises capturing each image after a periodic time interval.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which a time interval between capturing each image, and the velocity of movement of the specimen relative to the imaging system are chosen such that each image is substantially free of motion blur.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the time interval between capturing an image, and the velocity of movement of the specimen relative to the imaging system are chosen such that overlapping images are acquired.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, in which the overlap of adjacent images is between 10% and 15%, preferably about 10% of the image or up to 100 pixels of the imaging system.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the predetermined path comprises a series of parallel rows, each adjacent row separated by a distance such that contiguous or slightly overlapping images are acquired.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the imaging system comprises a magnifying subsystem and an associated image capturing device.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, in which the magnifying subsystem comprises an optical microscope and the image capturing device comprises a digital camera.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, in which the digital camera is a TDI camera.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, in which the specimen is moved in the predetermined path within the imaging system.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, in which a stage, holding a slide containing the microscope specimen, is driven beneath the imaging system in the predetermined path.

13. A method as claimed in claim 12, in which the speed and direction of movement of the stage is computer-controlled and the time interval between capturing each of the plurality of images is synchronised with the movement of the stage so that images with a desired amount of overlap are acquired.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprises processing data representing the captured plurality of images to obtain data representing a composite image of the specimen.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which the processing comprises assembling together data for images that overlap, and removing the duplicated data at the area of overlap, to form data for a composite image.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, in which the processing involves digital image processing techniques performed during and/or after the imaging of the complete specimen has finished.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processing of image data is performed by cross-correlation of two adjacent images, and an amount of overlap of the images is sufficient to enable accurate cross-correlation.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17, in which, the cross correlation is performed in an area of image overlap determined according to the velocity of the specimen at the time the images were acquired.

19. A computer readable medium having a computer program for controlling an imaging system to carry out a method for acquiring image data representing an image of at least part of microscope specimen using the imaging system, the method comprising moving the specimen relative to the imaging system in a predetermined path, whilst capturing a plurality of magnified images of the specimen

20. An imaging system for acquiring image data representing a digital image of at least part of microscope specimen, the imaging system comprising a magnifying optical subsystem and an image capturing subsystem, the imaging system configured to capture a plurality of magnified images of a specimen whilst the specimen is moved relative to the imaging system in a predetermined path.

21. An imaging system as claimed in claim 20, further comprising a computerised stage for moving the specimen in the predetermined path within the imaging system.

22. An imaging system as claimed in claim 20, in which the image capturing subsystem comprises a digital camera.

23. An imaging system as claimed in claim 22, in which the digital camera is a TDI camera.