Image scanning system for tissue slides

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10095019-B2
Application number	US-201615256656-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 5, 2016
Priority date	Nov 23, 2015
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

An image scanning system for tissue slides comprises a microscope, an image capture element, a splitter module and a shading module, wherein the microscope is used for carrying a plurality of tissue slides. The light pass through each of the tissue slides is able to enter the splitter module selectively by the shading module, and the light is guided into the image capture element via a plurality of splitters of the splitter module to make each of the tissue slides be imaged on the image capture element respectively for image scanning.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image scanning system for tissue slides comprising:
a microscope including a light source, a stage and a plurality of objective lenses, wherein the light source provides light, the stage is located between the light source and the objective lenses and used for carrying a plurality of tissue slides which have a scanning region respectively, and wherein each of the tissue slides corresponds to one of the objective lenses;
an image capture element configured on the microscope, wherein the scanning region of each of the tissue slides is imaged on the image capture element respectively, and the image capture element is used for capturing an image of each of the scanning regions;
a splitter module located between the objective lenses and the image capture element, the light into the splitter module via each of the objective lenses, wherein the splitter module includes a plurality of first splitters, each of the first splitters corresponds to one of the objective lenses, and each of the first splitters is used for guiding the light into the image capture element; and
a shading module including a plurality of covers which are located between the objective lenses and the splitter module, wherein each of the covers is able to selectively block the light into the splitter module via each of the objective lenses to make the light into the splitter module via one of the objective lenses.

2. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the shading module further includes a control element which is used for controlling each of the covers to block the light selectively.

3. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 2 , wherein the covers are electrochromic covers.

4. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the splitter module further includes a second splitter located between the first splitters and the image capture element, the second splitter is used for guiding the light into the image capture element from each of the first splitters.

5. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the scanning region of each of the tissue slides contains a plurality of partial images, each of the partial images is imaged on the image capture element respectively, and the image capture element captures a partial image of each of the partial regions respectively.

6. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 5 further comprises an image processing element electrically connected with the image capture element, wherein the image processing element is used for classifying the partial images.

7. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 6 , wherein the image processing element stitches the partial images of the same scanning region together to form a panoramic image.

8. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 7 , wherein the image processing element outputs the panoramic image of the scanning region into a digital image.

9. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the microscope further includes a adjusting element which is used for adjusting the stage displacement in x-axis direction and y-axis direction.

10. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the adjusting element is further used for adjusting the objective lenses displacement in z-axis direction.

11. An image scanning system for tissue slides comprising:
a microscope including a stage and a plurality of objective lenses, wherein the stage is used for carrying a plurality of tissue slides which have a scanning region respectively, and each of the tissue slides corresponds to one of the objective lenses;
an image capture element configured on the microscope, wherein the scanning region of each of the tissue slides is imaged on the image capture element respectively, and the image capture element is used for capturing an image of each of the scanning regions;
a splitter module located between the objective lenses and the image capture element, wherein the splitter module includes a plurality of first splitters, and each of the first splitters corresponds to one of the objective lenses, wherein the first splitters and the objective lenses form a plurality of light paths; and
a shading module including a plurality of covers which are located between the objective lenses and the splitter module, wherein each of the covers is able to selectively block a light to make the light pass through one of the light paths.

12. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the shading module further includes a control element which is used for controlling each of the covers to block the light selectively.

13. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 12 , wherein the covers are electrochromic covers.

14. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the splitter module further includes a second splitter located between the first splitters and the image capture element, the second splitter is used for guiding the light into the image capture element from each of the first splitters.

15. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the scanning region of each of the tissue slides contains a plurality of partial images, each of the partial images is imaged on the image capture element respectively, and the image capture element captures a partial image of each of the partial regions respectively.

16. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 15 further comprises an image processing element electrically connected with the image capture element, wherein the image processing element is used for classifying the partial images.

17. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 16 , wherein the image processing element stitches the partial images of the same scanning region together to form a panoramic image.

18. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 17 , wherein the image processing element outputs the panoramic image of the scanning region into a digital image.

19. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 11 , wherein the microscope further includes a adjusting element which is used for adjusting the stage displacement in x-axis direction and y-axis direction.

20. The image scanning system for tissue slides in accordance with claim 19 , wherein the adjusting element is further used for adjusting each of the objective lenses displacement in z-axis direction.

Assignees

• Metal Ind Res & Dev Ct

Inventors

• Hsieh Yu-Sung
• Chang Yi-San
• Lu Yu-Jen

Classifications

• G03B17/48

  adapted for combination with other photographic or optical apparatus · CPC title

• G02B26/02

  for controlling the intensity of light {(G02B26/004 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G02B21/26

  Stages; Adjusting means therefor · CPC title

• G01N2021/0106

  General arrangement of respective parts · CPC title

• G01N2201/06

  Illumination; Optics · CPC title