MICROSCOPE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATION THEREOF

• US 20100171809A1
• Filed: 11/30/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: FUJIYOSHI, Kouji
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/36
• 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 microscope system for obtaining an image having a wide view angle by repeatedly capturing an image with an objective lens having a high magnification while moving a stage, and by connecting captured images having a small view angle including a stage, a stage driving unit, a stage position detecting unit, an image capturing unit, a position to be reached determining unit for determining a position to be reached which is the next image capturing position of the stage on the basis of the state of the captured image and the position of the stage at which the image is captured, and a stage move guiding unit for prompting a user to move the stage to the position to be reached on the basis of the detected position of the stage and the determined position to be reached.

Claims

1. A microscope system for obtaining an image having a wide view angle by repeatedly capturing an image with an objective lens having a high magnification while moving a stage, and by connecting captured images having a small view angle, comprising:

a stage on which a sample is placed;

a stage driving unit for moving the stage at least in a vertical direction with respect to an optical axis;

a stage position detecting unit for detecting a position of the stage;

an image capturing unit for capturing an optical image of the sample;

a position to be reached determining unit for determining a position to be reached which is a next image capturing position of the stage and at which the image is captured, on the basis of a state of the captured image and the position of the stage; and

a stage move guiding unit for prompting a user to move the stage to the position to be reached on the basis of the detected position of the stage and the determined position to be reached.

2. The microscope system according to claim 1, further comprising

a warning unit for issuing a warning if the stage is moved in a direction away from the position to be reached.

3. The microscope system according to claim 1, wherein

the position to be reached determining unit comprises

a brightness difference measuring unit for measuring a brightness difference between a brightness of a predetermined pixel and a brightness of an arbitrary pixel other than the predetermined pixel within the image, and

an overlap amount determining unit for determining an amount of overlap in corresponding side portions of a first image that is captured at a current image capturing position and a second image that is an image to be captured next and that is the image in a preset scanning direction, and for determining the position to be reached, which is a position at which the second image is captured, to be a position further inward than the side portion of the scanning direction side of the first image by the amount of overlap.

4. The microscope system according to claim 3, further comprising

an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by deleting an overlapping portion respectively from the first image and the second image, and by connecting the first image and the second image.

5. The microscope system according to claim 3, wherein

the brightness difference measuring unit measures a brightness difference between a brightness of a pixel at a central position and a brightness of a pixel in a side portion within the image.

6. The microscope system according to claim 1, wherein

the position to be reached determining unit comprises

a lens characteristic identifying unit for measuring a brightness difference between a brightness of a predetermined pixel and a brightness of each pixel other than the predetermined pixel within the image, and for identifying a lens characteristic of the objective lens on the basis of a shape of a line linking pixels adjacent to a pixel having a brightness difference which does not exceed a threshold value from among pixels having a brightness difference exceeding the threshold value, and

an overlap amount determining unit for determining, in accordance with the identified lens characteristic, an amount of overlap in corresponding side portions of a first image that is captured at a current image capturing position and a second image that is an image to be captured next and that is the image in a preset scanning direction, and for determining the position to be reached that is a position at which the second image is captured to be a position further inward than the side portion of the scanning direction side of the first image by the amount of overlap.

7. The microscope system according to claim 6, wherein

the lens characteristic identifying unit identifies the lens characteristic as a shading state if the line which links the pixels adjacent to the pixel having the brightness difference which does not exceed the threshold value from among the pixels having the brightness difference exceeding the threshold value forms a curve of a nearly concentric arc.

8. The microscope system according to claim 7, wherein

if the lens characteristic is identified as the shading state, the overlap amount determining unit makes pixel positions at which the side portion in a same direction as the scanning direction of the two images intersects with the line overlap in the corresponding side portions when the first image and the second image are connected, and determines the amount of overlap on the basis of a resultant overlapping image portion.

9. The microscope system according to claim 6, further comprising

an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by deleting an overlapping portion from the first image and the second image, and by connecting the first image and the second image.

10. The microscope system according to claim 1, wherein:

the sample is a sample in a grid pattern; and

the position to be reached determining unit comprises

a lens characteristic identifying unit for identifying a lens distortion state of the objective lens by identifying a curve having a minimum curvature from among lines which configure the grid pattern within the image and a curvature of which exceeds a threshold value, and

an overlap amount determining unit for determining, in accordance with the identified lens distortion state, the amount of overlap in corresponding side portions of a first image captured at a current image capturing position and a second image that is an image to be captured next and that is the image in a present scanning direction, and for determining the position to be reached, which is a position at which the second image is captured, to be a position further inward than the side portion of the scanning direction side of the first image by the amount of overlap.

11. The microscope system according to claim 10, wherein

if the lens characteristic identifying unit identifies the curve as being a curve bending from a top, a bottom, a left, and a right of the view angle toward an inside, the overlap amount determining unit makes pixel positions which correspond to a peak portion of the curve of the two images overlap in the corresponding side portions when the first image and the second image are connected, and determines the amount of overlap on the basis of a resultant overlapping image portion.

12. The microscope system according to claim 10, wherein

if the lens characteristic identifying unit identifies the curve as being a curve bending from a top, a bottom, a left, and a right of the view angle toward an outside, the overlap amount determining unit makes pixel positions at which the side portion in a same direction as the scanning direction of the two images intersects with the line overlap in the corresponding side portions when the first image and the second image are connected, and determines the amount of overlap on the basis of a resultant overlapping image portion.

13. The microscope system according to claim 10, further comprising

an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by deleting the overlapping portion respectively from the first image and the second image, and by connecting the first image and the second image.

14. An operation method of a microscope system for obtaining an image having a wide view angle by repeatedly capturing an image with an objective lens having a high magnification while moving a stage on which a sample is placed and which can be moved at least in a vertical direction with respect to an optical axis, and by connecting captured images having a small view angle, comprising:

detecting a position of the stage;

capturing an optical image of the sample;

determining a position to be reached, which is a next image capturing position of the stage and at which the image is captured, on the basis of a state of the captured image and the position of the stage; and

prompting a user to move the stage to the position to be reached on the basis of the detected position of the stage and the determined position to be reached.

15. A microscope system for obtaining an image having a wide view angle by repeatedly capturing an image with an objective lens having a high magnification while moving a stage, and by connecting captured images having a small view angle, comprising:

a stage on which a sample is placed;

a stage driving unit for moving the stage at least in a vertical direction with respect to an optical axis;

a stage position detecting unit for detecting a position of the stage;

an image capturing unit for capturing an optical image of the sample;

a position to be reached determining unit for determining a position to be reached, which is a next image capturing position of the stage and at which the image is captured, on the basis of a state of the captured image and the position of the stage; and

an image synthesizing unit for generating a synthesized image by sequentially connecting an image captured at the position to be reached.

16. The microscope system according to claim 15, wherein

the position to be reached determining unit comprises

a brightness difference measuring unit for measuring a brightness difference between a brightness of a predetermined pixel and a brightness of an arbitrary pixel other than the predetermined pixel within the image, and

an overlap amount determining unit for determining, in accordance with the brightness difference, an amount of overlap in corresponding side portions of a first image that is captured at a current image capturing position and a second image that is an image to be captured next and that is the image in a preset scanning direction, and for determining the position to be reached, which is a position at which the second image is captured, to be a position further inward than the side portion of the scanning direction side of the first image by the amount of overlap.

17. The microscope system according to claim 16, wherein

the image synthesizing unit generates a synthesized image by deleting the overlapping portion respectively from the first image and the second image, and by connecting the first image and the second image.

18. The microscope system according to claim 16, wherein

the brightness difference measuring unit measures a brightness difference between a brightness of a pixel at a central position and a pixel of a side portion within the image.

19. The microscope system according to claim 15, wherein

the position to be reached determining unit comprises

a lens characteristic identifying unit for measuring a brightness difference between a brightness of a predetermined pixel and a brightness of each pixel other than the predetermined pixel within the image, and for identifying a lens characteristic of the objective lens on the basis of a shape of a line linking pixels adjacent to a pixel having a brightness difference which does not exceed a threshold value from among pixels having a brightness difference exceeding the threshold value, and

an overlap amount determining unit for determining, in accordance with the identified lens characteristic, an amount of overlap in corresponding side portions of a first image that is captured at a current image capturing position and a second image that is an image to be captured next and that is the image in a preset scanning direction, and for determining the position to be reached, which is a position at which the second image is captured, to be a position further inward than the side portion of the scanning direction side of the first image by the amount of overlap.

20. The microscope system according to claim 19, wherein

the lens characteristic identifying unit identifies the lens characteristic as a shading state if the line which links the pixels adjacent to the pixel having the brightness difference which does not exceed the threshold value from among the pixels having the brightness difference exceeding the threshold value forms a curve in a shape of a nearly concentric arc.

21. The microscope system according to claim 20, wherein

if the lens characteristic is identified as the shading state, the overlap amount determining unit makes pixel positions at which the side portion in a same direction as the scanning direction of the two images intersects with the line overlap in the corresponding side portions when the first image and the second image are connected, and determines the amount of overlap on the basis of a resultant overlapping image portion.

22. The microscope system according to claim 19, wherein

the image synthesizing unit generates a synthesized image by deleting an overlapping portion respectively from the first image and the second image, and by connecting the first image and the second image.

23. The microscope system according to claim 15, wherein:

the sample is a sample in a grid pattern; and

the position to be reached determining unit comprises

a lens characteristic identifying unit for identifying a lens distortion state of the objective lens by identifying a curve having a minimum curvature from among lines which configure the grid pattern within the image and a curvature of which exceeds a threshold value, and

an overlapping amount determining unit for determining, in accordance with the identified lens distortion state, an amount of overlap in corresponding side portions of a first image that is captured at a current image capturing position and a second image that is an image to be captured next and that is the image in a preset scanning direction, and for determining the position to be reached, which is a position at which the second image is captured, to be a position further inward than the side portion of the scanning direction side of the first image by the amount of overlap.

24. The microscope system according to claim 23, wherein if the lens characteristic identifying unit identifies the curve as being a curve bending from a top, a bottom, a left, and a right of the view angle toward an inside, the overlap amount determining unit makes pixel positions which correspond to a peak portion of the curve of the two images in the corresponding side portions when the first image and the second image are connected overlap, and determines the amount of overlap on the basis of a resultant overlapping image portion.

25. The microscope system according to claim 23, wherein

if the lens characteristic identifying unit identifies the curve as being a curve bending from a top, a bottom, a left, and a right of the view angle toward an outside, the overlap amount determining unit makes pixel positions at which the side portion in a same direction as the scanning direction of the two images intersects with the line overlap in the corresponding side portions when the first image and the second image are connected, and determines the amount of overlap on the basis of a resultant overlapping image portion.

26. The microscope system according to claim 23, wherein

the image synthesizing unit generates a synthesized image by deleting an overlapping portion respectively from the first image and the second image, and by connecting the first image and the second image.