Targeted edge detection method and apparatus for cytological image processing applications
US8064679B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 11, 2008 |
| Grant date | Nov 22, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 17, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06T2207/30024
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Edges in cytological image data are identified by obtaining a digital image of a specimen and computing a gradient image from the obtained digital image. A scaling function is applied to the grayscale image to identify regions of interest (e.g., edges of cell nuclei) in the digital image. Edges of the regions of interest are then identified based on the product of the computed gradient image and the scaling image. The scaling function may be applied to each image frame and one or more scaling thresholds are established for each frame to selectively pass, suppress, or scale pixels based on their measured intensity values. The scaled image resulting from application of the scaling function is multiplied with the gradient image to produce a targeted gradient image that identifies the edges of the region of interest. The targeted gradient image isolates edges corresponding to particular cellular structures, while rejecting other edges within the image.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.