Microscopy system utilizing a plurality of images for enhanced image processing capabilities

• US 6,313,452 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Advanced Microscopy, Inc. (Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.))
• Original Assignee: Sarnoff Corporation (SRI International, Inc.)
• Inventors: Paragano, Vincent, Dixon, Douglas Fremont, Piacentino, Michael R., Kumar, Rakesh, Sawhney, Harpreet S., Wixson, Lambert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PYO, KEVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/217,315
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 250/201.1, 250/201.2, 250/201.3, 250/548, 250/216, 250/559.08, 359/368, 359/380, 359/391, 359/393, 348/79, 348/80, 382/284, 382/294
• US Class Current: 250/201.3
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/24 Base structure
• 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 microscopy system comprising a microscope including a stage, at least one magnifying lens, and a lens controller, a video capture device coupled to the microscope capturing a plurality of images of an object on the stage of the microscope and a processing subsystem receiving the plurality of images from the video capture device, in which the processing subsystem generates at least one resultant image as a function of the plurality of images. The at least one resultant image generated by the processing subsystem may include a mosaic, submosaic or a sequence of mosaics.

Claims

1. A microscopy system comprising:

a microscope including a stage, at least one magnifying lens, and a lens controller;

a video capture device coupled to the microscope capturing a plurality of images of an object on the stage of the microscope, wherein sets of captured images overlap adjacent sets of captured images; and

a processing subsystem receiving the plurality of images from the video capture device, the processing subsystem generating at least one resultant image as a function of the plurality of images.

2. The microscopy system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one resultant image includes a mosaic.

3. The microscopy system according to claim 2, wherein the stage of the microscope includes a motorized stage, the microscopy system further comprising:

a controller/interface device coupling the motorized stage to the processing subsystem,

wherein the processing subsystem causes the motorized stage to traverse a first plurality of predetermined travel paths via the controller/interface device, and wherein the plurality of images corresponds to a plurality of positions of the motorized stage along the first plurality of predetermined travel paths.

4. The microscopy system according to claim 3, wherein the microscope further includes a position sensor coupled to the motorized stage, the position sensor providing position data regarding the plurality of positions of the motorized stage to the processing subsystem, and wherein the processing subsystem controls the motorized stage as a function of the position data.

7. The microscopy system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a user interface device coupled to the processing subsystem, the user interface device conveying a user input to the processing subsystem,

wherein the user input indicates a selected area of the mosaic, and wherein the processing subsystem generates a submosaic of the selected area of the mosaic.

8. The microscopy system according to claim 3, wherein the processing subsystem causes the motorized stage to travel along a second plurality of predetermined travel paths, wherein the video capture device captures a second plurality of images corresponding to a second plurality of positions of the motorized stage along the second plurality of predetermined travel paths, a first distance separating adjacent paths of the first plurality of predetermined travel paths, a second distance separating adjacent paths of the second plurality of predetermined travel paths, the second distance being smaller than the first distance, and wherein the processing subsystem generates a second resultant image from the second plurality of images.

5. A microscopy system comprising:

a microscope including a stage, at least one magnifying lens, and a lens controller;

a video capture device coupled to the microscope capturing a plurality of images of an object on the stage of the microscope; and

a processing subsystem receiving the plurality of images from the video capture device, the processing subsystem generating at least one resultant image including a mosaic as a function of the plurality of images, wherein the at least one magnifying lens includes a plurality of magnifying lenses, wherein the plurality of images are captured through a selected one of the plurality of magnifying lenses, wherein the lens controller includes a lens power-setting controller for setting the microscope to the selected one of the plurality of magnifying lenses, the microcopy system further comprising;

a controller/interface device coupling the lens power-setting controller to the processing subsystem,

wherein the processing subsystem selects the selected one of the plurality of magnifying lenses via the controller/interface device and conveys the selection to the lens power-setting controller via the controller/interface device to set the microscope to the selected one of the plurality of magnifying lenses.

6. The microscopy system according to claim 5, wherein the video capture device further captures a second plurality of images of the object on the stage using a second one of the plurality of magnifying lenses, the second one of the plurality of magnifying lenses having a greater magnification power than the first one of the plurality of magnifying lenses, and wherein the processing subsystem generates a second mosaic from the second plurality of images.

9. A microscopy system comprising:

a microscope including a stage, at least one magnifying lens, and a lens controller;

a video capture device coupled to the microscope capturing a plurality of images of an object on the stage of the microscope; and

a processing subsystem receiving the plurality of images from the video capture device, the processing subsystem generating at least one resultant image as a function of the plurality of images, wherein the at least one resultant image includes a plurality of sequential mosaics.

10. The microscopy system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a display device coupled to the processing subsystem,

wherein the processing subsystem displays the plurality of sequential mosaics in a predetermined order on the display device.

11. The microscopy system according to claim 9, wherein the processing subsystem detects an object moving independently of the microscopy system in the plurality of sequential mosaics.

12. The microscopy system according to claim 11, wherein the processing subsystem extracts the moving object from the plurality of sequential mosaics.

13. The microscopy system according to claim 11, wherein the processing subsystem generates a plurality of sequential images of the moving object, and wherein the processing subsystem displays the plurality of sequential images of the moving object on the display device.

14. A method for generating at least one mosaic from a plurality of images of an object on a stage of a microscope, the method comprising the steps of:

moving the stage of the microscope in a first plurality of predetermined travel paths;

capturing the plurality of images of the object, via a video capture device, corresponding to a plurality of positions of the stage along the first plurality of predetermined travel paths;

providing the plurality of images to a processing subsystem, wherein sets of captured images overlap adjacent sets of captured images; and

generating the at least one mosaic, via the processing subsystem, as a function of the plurality of images.

15. The method according to claim 14, the method further comprising the step of:

determining a position of the stage of the microscope along the first plurality of predetermined travel paths via a position sensor,

wherein the stage of the microscope includes a motorized stage, and wherein the processing subsystem controls the motorized stage as a function of the determined position of the motorized stage.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the at least one mosaic includes a plurality of sequential mosaics.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of detecting an object moving independently of the microscope in the plurality of sequential mosaics.

18. A method for generating at least one mosaic from a plurality of images of an object on a stage of a microscope, the microscope including a plurality of magnifying lenses, the method comprising the steps of:

setting the microscope to a selected one of the plurality of magnifying lenses;

capturing the plurality of images of the object using the selected one of the plurality of magnifying lenses, via a video capture device;

providing the plurality of images to a processing subsystem, wherein sets of captured images overlap adjacent sets of captured images; and

generating the at least one mosaic, via the processing subsystem, as a function of the plurality of images.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the steps of:

setting the microscope to a second one of the plurality of magnifying lenses, the second one of the plurality of magnifying lenses having a greater magnification level than the selected one of the plurality of magnifying lenses;

capturing a second plurality of images of the object using the selected one, via the video capture device;

providing the second plurality of images to the processing subsystem; and

generating at least one second mosaic, via the processing subsystem, as a function of the second plurality of images.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the at least one mosaic includes a plurality of sequential mosaics, the method further comprising the step of detecting an object moving independently of the microscope in the plurality of sequential mosaics.