Method and apparatus for automated image analysis of biological specimens

US7783098B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Carl Zeiss Micromanaging GmbH · DE

Inventors

• James W. Douglass · Indialantic, US
• Thomas J. Riding · West Melbourne, US
• James E. Ring · Melbourne Beach, US
• Gina McLaren · Laguna Niguel, US
• William J. Decker · San Diego, US
• Robert Ellis · Winter Garden, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 29, 2008
• Grant date: Aug 24, 2010
• Expiry date: Aug 30, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G01N2015/1497
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A method including acquiring images of medical slides at a plurality of different focus positions, determining a position which produces a maximum value of pixel values relative to a pixel value mean, wherein said determining comprises using a pixel value mean as a coarse estimate of coarse focus position, and subsequently refining said coarse focus position to find a fine focus position, and wherein said refining comprises fitting to a polynomial, and using a specified portion of the polynomial as a fine estimate of focus position, and producing a focus control signal that is related to said maximum value to control a focus position.