Patent ID: 6259807
Filing Date: 2001-07-10
Classification: G01N,G02B,G06K

Abstract:
A method of finding objects of interest that are interspersed with other objects in a sample, the method comprising:providing a sample where objects have optical properties so that objects of interest, when imaged on an imaging medium under different illumination schemes, exhibit a combination of features, referred to as the unique combination, that is different from combinations of features exhibited by other objects;generating multiple images by subjecting the sample to multiple illumination schemes;applying a function to the multiple images to obtain a pre-combined image;subjecting the sample to additional illumination schemes;generating corresponding additional images wherein the additional images are derived from a lesser number of images, with at least one of the lesser number of images being taken with a combination of illumination schemes in effect simultaneously; andanalyzing the pre-combined image and the additional images to determine instances where the unique combination of features from the different images meets a predetermined proximity constraint.