Patent ID: 6252979
Filing Date: 2001-06-26
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
An interactive process for sorting biological specimens comprising the steps of:(a) automatically processing a biological specimen to provide an analysis score;(b) automatically sorting the biological specimen according to the analysis score into categories including a clearly normal category, an interactive review category, and a microscopy review category;(c) automatically selecting at least one field-of-view for any biological specimen automatically sorted into the interactive review category;(d) expanding depth of focus;(e) processing an image in a selected field-of-view using a low pass decomposition wherein the low pass decomposition comprises a sequence of copies of an original image in which both sample density and resolution are decreased in regular or irregular steps, and wherein reduced resolution levels of the low pass decomposition are themselves obtained through a highly efficient iterative algorithm; and(f) processing an image in a selected field-of-view using band pass decomposition wherein the step of processing an image in a selected field-of-view using band pass decomposition further includes the steps of:(i) processing an image wherein a zero.sup.th level of the low pass decomposition, L.sub.0, is equal to the original image and wherein a processed image is linearly or morphologically low pass filtered and down-sampled to obtain a next decomposition level L.sub.1,(ii) filtering L.sub.1.times.L.sub.1 in a similar way and down-sampling to obtain L.sub.2, and(iii) repeating steps a) and b) so as to generate remaining low pass decomposition levels according to relationships includingL.sub.0 =I, andL.sub.i =D(F(L.sub.i-1)), for i>=1,where a function F comprises a low pass filter operation, and a function D comprises a down-sample operation.