Method and apparatus for acquiring and reconstructing magnified specimen images from a computer-controlled microscope

• US 6,404,906 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 06/11/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Evident Scientific Incorporated (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Bacus Laboratories Incorporated (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Bacus, James W., Bacus, James V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/752,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20010050999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/129, 382/133, 382/162, 382/164, 382/165, 382/173, 382/190, 382/192, 382/224, 382/225, 382/255, 382/282, 348/79, 348/80, 396/432, 396/904, 396/402, 396/403, 359/368, 359/369, 359/370, 359/372, 359/379, 359/380, 359/381, 359/382, 359/383, 359/391, 359/392
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/1433 using image recognition
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/4038 Image mosaicing, e.g. composing plane images from plane sub-images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 Biomedical image inspection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/69 Microscopic objects, e.g. biological cells or cellular parts
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/40 for data related to laboratory analysis, e.g. patient specimen analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

A method is disclosed for using a computer controlled microscope system to provide a reconstructed, seamless image from several contiguous fields of view to show the architecture and spatial relationship of biological material in a specimen. The specimen is scanned with a microscope and a digital scanner to provide digitized titles of contiguous, fields of view at a predetermined magnification, optical resolution and pixel resolution. Preferably, an automated X, Y stage with higher positional spatial resolution than the spatial pixel resolution of the digital scanner is used to acquire the contiguous fields of view and the image registration information which is used to reconstruct and to display on a monitor the reconstructed image formed of the contiguous multiple fields of view. Preferably, a macro image of contiguous image titles at a low magnification and optical resolution is obtained and the user navigates within the macro image and selects areas. Higher magnification titles for the selected area are assembled and viewed at a higher magnification and optical resolution as a composite micro image of the selected area. Both the macro and micro images may be displayed simultaneously. Preferably, the user may scroll and cause additional fields of view to be added to previously displayed fields of view.

Claims

1. A method for viewing biological specimens by an image analysis system having a computer-controlled, automated microscope comprising the following steps:

placing a biological specimen in a microscope at a first location for viewing at a remote location;

connecting a computer terminal at a remote location to an Internet or Intranet transmission channel for operation of the image analysis system and microscope at the first location;

generating and displaying to the viewer at the remote location a low magnification, composite image formed of a plurality of adjacent, registered fields of view having image point addresses coordinating areas of interest within the biological specimen at the microscope;

the remote observer viewing the low magnification composite image and selecting therefrom a point of interest to be viewed at a higher magnification at the remote location;

sending signals from the remote computer terminal over the transmission channel to control and to operate the image analysis system and microscope at the first location to acquire at least one high magnification, digitized field of view image at the addressed selected point of interest;

transmitting the at least one, high magnification digitized image over the Internet or Intranet transmission channel from the first location to the remote location; and

displaying at the remote location both the composite low magnification image and the high magnification image of the selected at least one high magnification field of view image of the addressed point of interest.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the sending of signals from the remote computer terminal over the transmission channel to control and to operate the image analysis and microscope at the first location comprises acquiring a plurality of adjacent high magnification fields of view images to be formed into a composing high magnification image for the selected point of interest;

transmitting the plurality of adjacent, fields of view, high magnification images to the remote location; and

displaying at the remote location both the low magnification composite image of the area of interest on the specimen and the high magnification composite image of the selected point of interest.

3. A method in accordance with claim 2 comprising:

scrolling into view by the remote operator of adjacent fields of view into the composite image being viewed.

4. A method in accordance with claim 2 comprising:

storing the high magnification, digitized field of view at the first location or subsequent transmission over an Internet transmission channel having a packet switched network; and

sending the stored digitized image data over the packet switched network from the first location to the remote location and operating the microscope at the first location by signals transmitted over the packet switched network to the first location.

5. A method in accordance with claim 1 comprising:

providing a digitized image of at least one field of view at an intermediate magnification for a selected point of interest; and

switching back and forth by the remote operator between the digitized images at the intermediate and at the higher magnifications for the selected point of interest on the low magnification composite image.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the acquiring of at least one high magnification digitized image at the addressed, selected point of interest comprises:

acquiring a single high magnification digitized image of one addressed field of view for transmission to the remote location for display as the high magnification image at the remote location.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the selecting by the observer of an addressed point of interest within the low magnification composite image comprises:

marking the selected point of interest on the low magnification, comprise image to show the location thereon of the single, high magnification image being displayed at the remote location.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 comprising:

providing a consulting pathologist at the remote location for operating the microscope; and

sending the digitized images over the Internet transmission and operating the microscope by the pathologist is real time.

9. A method in accordance with claim 1 comprising:

performing at the remote location a quantitative analysis on the at least one, high magnification field of view that was transmitted to the remote location.

10. A method in accordance with claim 1 comprising:

transmitting digitized fields of view at high magnification to a plurality of remote locations; and

performing quantitative analyses on the digitized fields of view at high magnification at these plurality of remote locations.

11. A method of acquiring and viewing microscopic images of a biological specimen comprising:

operating from a remote location a microscope and image analysis system located at a first location to scan and to digitize a series of adjacent fields of view of the specimen through a microscope objective lens and creating a composite low magnification image from these adjacent fields of view;

storing data representing the low magnification, composite image of an area of interest of the specimen at the first location;

transferring over an Internet or intranet communication channel the stored data to the remote location;

displaying to an observer at the remote location the low magnification, composite image larger than a single field of view and provided from the transferred data of the area of interest of the specimen;

the remote observer viewing the low magnification, composite image and navigating therein for points of interest and selecting a point of interest, at the remote location, for being acquired and displayed for analysis at the high magnification;

operating the microscope and image analysis system at the first location from the remote location to acquire data representing at least one field of view image at a higher magnification for the selected point of interest;

transferring over the communication channel the data for the at least one, higher magnification view image; and

displaying at the remote location the at least one field of view, high magnification image of the selected point of interest from the transferred data.

12. A method o acquiring and viewing microscopic images of a biological specimen in accordance with claim 11 comprising:

providing an Internet communication channel having a packet switched network and transferring the data over the packet switched network to the remote location for quantitative analysis at the remote location; and

displaying a plurality of adjacent fields of view as a composite, high magnification image of the selected point of interest.

13. A method in accordance with claim 12 comprising:

providing digitized image of at least one field of view at an intermediate magnification for a selected point of interest; and

switching back and forth by the remote operator between the digitized images at the intermediate and at the higher magnifications for the same selected point of interest on the low magnification image.

14. A method of acquiring and viewing microscopic images of a biological specimen in accordance with claim 11 wherein the creating of the composite, low magnification image and the high magnification image comprises:

assembling the series of low magnification image tiles of adjacent fields of view into a composite low magnification tiled composite image of the area of interest of the specimens.

15. A method of acquiring and analyzing microorganisms in accordance with claim 14 comprising:

using an Internet communication channel for transferring the stored data to the remote location; and

operating the microscope to acquire data for a plurality of adjacent fields of view at high magnification for the selected point of interest of the specimen by remote observer comprises only a small fraction of the high specification fields of view that would comprise the entire area of interest.