Patent ID: 6917696
Filing Date: 2005-07-12
Classification: G02B,H04N

Abstract:
1. A system for creating a contiguous digital image of a portion of a microscope sample, comprising: a motorized stage configured to support a microscope sample and move the microscope sample at a substantially constant velocity; an illumination system configured to illuminate a portion of the microscope sample; an objective lens positioned for viewing the illuminated portion of the microscope sample; a line scan camera optically coupled with the objective lens, the line scan camera configured to create a digital image strip of a portion of the microscope sample, the digital image strip captured while the microscope sample is moving at substantially constant velocity; a focus map having a plurality of focus points on the microscope sample; a focusing system configured to focus the line scan camera during creation of each digital image strip in accordance with the focus map; an image composer configured to align adjacent digital image strips into a contiguous digital image of a portion of the microscope sample; and a data storage area configured to store the contiguous digital image.