Patent ID: 7277569

Claim:
An imaging method for detecting rare cells comprising: sweeping a radiation beam along a scan path on a sample; moving the sample generally perpendicularly to the scan path of the radiation beam sweeping, the moving cooperating with the sweeping so that the beam illuminates the entirety of the sample; collecting light produced by beam interaction with the sample using at least one proximate element of an array of fiber optic first ends; transmitting the collected light along a fiber associated with the at least one proximate element, the fiber channeling the collected light to a selected output region including an array of fiber optic second ends, wherein an arrangement of the array of fiber optic first ends is distinct from an arrangement of the array of fiber optic second ends; detecting the collected light at the selected output region; and coordinating the sweeping, moving, and detecting to generate an array of picture elements representative of at least a portion of the sample.