Method and device for segmenting a digital representation of cells

US8019156B2 · kind B2 · utility

Inventors

• Otthein Herzog · Bremen, DE
• Peter Friedl · Groß-Umstadt, DE
• Björn Gottfried · Bremen, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 10, 2005
• Grant date: Sep 13, 2011
• Expiry date: May 25, 2028

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06T2207/30241
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A method and a device for segmenting a digital image of biological cells, a method and a device for analyzing the dynamic behavior of biological cells and a method and a device for visualizing the dynamic behavior of biological cells. To provide a segmentation method that has minimal technical requirements, does not necessitate any special preparation or manipulation of the cells to be observed and which requires as few assumptions as possible to be made about the properties of the cells, it is proposed that the method comprises the following steps: determining a maximum gradient for each pixel of the image as the maximum difference between a pixel value of the pixel and the respective pixel values of all or selected neighboring pixels, determining a segmentation threshold value using the frequencies of the maximum gradients, classifying the images into an object class and an environment class using the segmentation threshold value and forming a segmentation zone of the digital image using a class merging method, in particular a region growing method.