Claims
- 1. A method of separating an object from a background in a pixelated image, the method comprising the computer-executed steps of:
selecting a digital filter for creating contrast in an image, the digital filter including a neighborhood operator for processing neighborhoods of pixels in pixel array; receiving a first pixel array defining a pixelated image including one or more objects and a background; receiving a second pixel array defining a reference image, the reference image including at least one object included in the pixelated image and a background, in which pixels included in the at least one object are distinguished from pixels included in the background by a predetermined amount of contrast; comparing pixels of the pixelated image with pixels of the reference image to determine a merit value; and changing the neighborhood operator of the digital filter to a new neighborhood operator in response to the merit value.
- 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighborhood operator is a convolution kernel.
- 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighborhood operator is a second order filter.
- 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the neighborhood operator is a Volterra series.
- 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing includes thresholding the merit value by:
assigning a value of zero to the merit value when:
a pixel of the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined background value and a corresponding pixel in the pixelated image has a value equal to or less than a background pixel magnitude; or a pixel of the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined object value and a corresponding pixel of the pixelated image has a value equal to or greater than an object pixel magnitude; otherwise determining a positive, non zero, value for the merit value.
- 6. The method of claim 5 further including the step of deriving a transformed image by filtering a third pixel array with the digital filter, using the new neighborhood operator.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the digital filter comprises a first order filter.
- 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the digital filter comprises a second order filter.
- 9. The method of claim 6, wherein the digital filter comprises a Volterra series.
- 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more objects are cells, or portions of cells.
- 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the reference image includes:
buffering the second pixel array; defining an array of error weights, each weight corresponding to one of the pixels in the reference image; and multiplying each of the errors at the corresponding reference image pixel locations to create a weighted merit value.
- 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the weights are 1 at or adjacent edges of the one or more objects and 0 elsewhere in the one or more objects.
- 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the weights are 1 at or adjacent edges of the one or more objects, 0 inside the one or more objects, and 0 in the background.
- 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of comparing includes thresholding the merit value by:
assigning a value of zero to the merit value when:
a pixel with the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined background value and a corresponding pixel in the pixelated image has a value equal to or less than a background pixel magnitude; or a pixel of the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined object value and a corresponding pixel in the pixelated image has a value equal to or greater than an object pixel magnitude; otherwise determining a positive, non-zero, value for the merit value.
- 15. A method of separating an object from a background in a pixelated image, the method comprising computer-executed steps of:
defining a type of digital filter, the digital filter including a neighborhood operator for processing neighborhoods of pixels in a pixel array; receiving a first pixel array defining a pixelated image including one or more objects and a background; receiving a second pixel array defining a reference image, the reference image including at least one object included in the pixelated image and a background, in which pixels included in the at least one object are distinguished from pixels included in the background by a predetermined amount of contrast; comparing pixels of the first pixel array with pixels of the second pixel array to determine a merit value; computing values of neighborhood operator elements in response to the merit value; receiving a third pixel array defining an image including one or more objects and a background; and applying the neighborhood operator to the third pixel array to create or enhance contrast between the one or more objects and the background.
- 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the neighborhood operator is a convolution kernel.
- 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the neighborhood operator is a second order filter.
- 18. The method of claim 11, wherein the neighborhood operator is a Volterra series.
- 19. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of comparing includes thresholding the merit value by:
assigning a value of zero to the merit value when:
a pixel of the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined background value and a corresponding pixel and the pixelated image has a value equal to or less than a background pixel magnitude; or a pixel of the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined object value and a corresponding pixel of the pixelated image has a value equal to or greater than an object pixel magnitude; otherwise determining a positive, non-zero, value for the merit value.
- 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the digital filter comprises a first order filter.
- 21. The method of claim 19, wherein the digital filter comprises a second order filter.
- 22. The method of claim 19, wherein the digital filter comprises a Volterra series.
- 23. The method of claim 19, wherein the one or more objects are cells, or portions of cells.
- 24. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of receiving the reference image includes:
buffering the second pixel array; defining an array of error weights, each weight corresponding to one of the pixels in the reference image; and multiplying each of the errors at the corresponding reference image pixel locations to create a weighted merit value.
- 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the weights are 1 at or adjacent edges of the one or more objects and 0 elsewhere in the one or more objects.
- 26. The method of claim 24, wherein the weights are 1 at or adjacent edges of the one or more objects, 0 inside the one or more objects, and 0 elsewhere in the background.
- 27. The method of claim 24, wherein the comparing step includes:
assigning a value of zero to the merit value when:
a pixel of the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined background value and a corresponding pixel in the pixelated image has a value equal to or less than a background pixel magnitude; or a pixel of the reference image has a magnitude equal to a predetermined object value and a corresponding pixel of the pixelated image has a value equal to or greater than an object pixel magnitude; otherwise determining a positive, non zero, value for the merit value.
- 28. The method of claim 15, further including the steps of:
receiving a third pixel array defining an image to be analyzed, the image to be analyzed including one or more objects and a background; and applying the neighborhood operator of the digital filter to the third pixel array to create or enhance contrast between the one or more objects in the background.
- 29. An image segmentation system, comprising:
means for acquiring an array of pixels defining a pixelated image including one or more objects and a background; a digital filter for producing a transformed array of pixels representing the transformation of a pixelated image, the digital filter including a neighborhood operator for processing intensities of pixels in a pixel array; means coupled to the means for acquiring and to the digital filter for setting values of the neighborhood operator in response to a first pixel array defining a pixelated image including one or more objects and a background and a second pixel array defining a reference image, the reference image including at least one object included in the pixelated image and a background in which pixels included in the at least one object are distinguished from pixels included in the background by a predetermined amount of contrast; and means for applying the neighborhood operator of the digital filter to a third array of pixels defining an image to be analyzed, the image to be analyzed including one or more objects and a background, such that the neighborhood operator creates or enhances contrast between the one or more objects in the background.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/302,044, for “OPERATOR INDEPENDENT IMAGE CYTOMETER” filed Sep. 7, 1994.
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
08302044 |
Sep 1994 |
US |
Child |
09123564 |
Jul 1998 |
US |