Patent ID: 6226392
Filing Date: 2001-05-01
Classification: G01N,G06K,G06T,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of using a computer controlled microscope imaging system to provide a reconstructed seamless image reconstructed from several contiguous fields of view showing the architecture and spatial relationship of biological material in a biological specimen, the method comprising:scanning the specimen with a microscope at a predetermined magnification, optical resolution and pixel resolution and acquiring digitized image tiles of contiguous fields of view;acquiring image registration information for the image tiles using microscope stage coordinates;assembling and coordinating the digitized image tiles using a acquired image registration information to align respective edges of the contiguous image tiles to form a reconstructed seamless composite image formed of a plurality of digitized, contiguous image tiles;displaying the reconstructed, seamless, composite image showing the architecture and the spatial relationship of the biological material in contiguous image tiles at an optical resolution for viewing and diagnostic analysis without the aid of a microscope;scanning the specimen at a first prior time at a lower magnification and optical resolution and acquiring contiguous image tiles and acquiring image registration information for each of these lower magnification, image tiles to align the respective edges thereof;assembling and coordinating the digitized, lower magnification, image tiles using the acquired image registration information to align respective edges of the contiguous image tiles to form a reconstructed, seamless, composite, lower magnification image formed of a plurality of digitized, contiguous, image tiles; andnavigating within the specimen's composite, lower magnification and optical resolution image and selecting adjacent segments of the navigated area on the composite, overall specimen image for the tile image acquisition at a predetermined, higher predetermined magnification and optical resolution.