Image sensing apparatus for microscope

• US 6,876,399 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2000
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Olympus Optical Corporation Limited (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Shirota, Tetsuya, Masuyama, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Garber, Wendy R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hannett, James M.
• Application Number:
  US09/483,521
• Time in Patent Office: 1,908 Days
• Field of Search: 348/557, 348/649, 348/650, 348/651, 348/352, 348/79, 348/222.1, 348/223.1, 348/65
• US Class Current: 348/649
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/361 Optical details, e.g. image relay to the camera or image sensor G02B21/364 takes precedence; illumination details G02B21/06 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 21/365 Control or image processing arrangements for digital or video microscopes G02B21/361, G02B21/362 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/88 for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control

Abstract

An image sensing apparatus for a microscope of this invention includes an image sensing unit for sensing an observation image obtained by a microscope and obtaining the observation image, a microscopy technique determination unit for detecting a microscopy technique in the microscope, a chromaticity determination unit for determining chromaticity of the observation image on the basis of the microscopy technique detected by said microscopy technique determination unit, and determining a region where color balance is adjusted in the observation image, and a color balance adjustment unit for adjusting color balance in accordance with a color balance adjustment amount arbitrarily set for the region of the observation image determined by said chromaticity determination unit.

Claims

1. An image sensing apparatus for a microscope, comprising:

an image sensing unit for sensing an observation image obtained by a microscope and obtaining the observation image;

a microscopy technique determination unit for detecting a microscopy technique in the microscope;

a luminance distribution determination unit for calculating a luminance distribution of the observation image based on the microscopy technique detected by said microscopy technique determination unit, and determining from the luminance distribution a region where tone is to be corrected in the observation image; and

a tone adjustment unit for correcting tone in accordance with a tone correction amount arbitrarily set for the region of the observation image determined by said luminance distribution determination unit;

wherein when a fluorescent observation state is detected by the microscopy determination unit;

the luminance distribution determination unit identifies a low-luminance range representing a background and an intermediate-luminance range representing a fluorescent specimen part, from the luminance distribution of the observation image, and determines a boundary between the low-luminance range and the intermediate-luminance range, and

the tone adjustment unit performs an arbitrarily set tone correction on the fluorescent specimen part.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tone adjustment unit performs a tone-expanding correction on the fluorescent specimen part.

2. An image sensing apparatus for a microscope, comprising:

an image sensing unit for sensing a observation image obtained by a microscope and obtaining the observation image;

a microscopy technique determination unit for detecting a microscopy technique in the microscope;

a luminance distribution determination unit for calculating a luminance distribution of the observation image based on the determination unit, and determining from the luminance distribution a region where tone is to be corrected in the observation image; and

a tone adjustment unit for correcting tone in accordance with a tone correction amount arbitrarily set for the region of the observation image determined by said luminance distribution determination unit;

wherein when a transmission bright-field observation state is detected by the microscopy technique determination unit;

the luminance distribution determination unit identifies a high-luminance range representing a background and at least one of a low-luminance range and an intermediate-luminance range representing a bright-field specimen part from the luminance distribution of the observation image, and determines a boundary between the high-luminance range and the at least one of the low-luminance range and the intermediate-luminance range, and

the tone adjustment unit performs an arbitrarily set tone correction on the bright-field specimen part.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the tone adjustment unit performs a tone-expanding correction on the bright-field specimen part.