Patent ID: 6101265
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: G01N,G06K,G06T,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of using a computer-controlled microscope imaging system for acquiring areas of interest in a specimen larger than a single field of view, said method comprising the steps of:scanning and digitizing a specimen at a low magnification through a microscope to provide to the user a macro image of the specimen;displaying to the observer the low magnification, macro image of the specimen;interactively selecting by the viewer a segment of the specimen from the low magnification, macro image being seen by the viewer and using the selected segment to direct a region of the specimen to be acquired for display at a higher magnification greater than the low magnification;automatically scanning the selected segment of the specimen at the higher magnification to provide a plurality of spatially adjacent, single fields of view, higher magnification images tiles stored with information to align edges of contiguous image tiles and their reconstruction as a reconstructed, composite, spatially contiguous image larger than a single field of view at higher magnification; andmaking available to the view of the observer the respective, low magnification, macro image and the higher magnification, reconstructed composite digitized image of the segment.