Shading Correction in Virtual Slide Imaging via Common Regions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image processing technologies face challenges in accurately correcting shading issues in virtual slide technology, which arise from uneven light sources and optical system nonuniformity, leading to unnatural boundaries and periodic patterns when joining multiple images of a specimen.
Innovation Solution
An image processing device and method that acquires multiple images with a common region set at a consistent position, calculates correction gains based on pixel values in these regions, and applies these gains to correct shading across image pairs, eliminating the need for calibration samples or specimen retraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If multiple images are joined together to create a virtual slide image, then the field of view is expanded and high-resolution imaging is achieved, but shading produces unnatural boundaries and periodic patterns at the joints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary shading correction to individual images before joining them together. By calculating correction gains based on common regions and applying these gains to compensate for brightness unevenness in advance, the method prevents shading from causing unnatural boundaries and periodic patterns in the final virtual slide image.
2Measurement precision
If calibration samples or specimen retraction is used for shading correction, then shading correction accuracy is improved, but imaging time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the specimen images themselves to perform shading correction without requiring external calibration samples. By identifying common regions across multiple images and calculating correction gains from these regions, the system achieves self-correction, eliminating the need for separate calibration procedures and reducing imaging time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the specimen images serve dual purposes: both as the objects to be observed and as the reference data for shading correction. The common regions in the specimen images are used to calculate correction gains that are then applied to the same images, eliminating the need for separate calibration samples.
3Measurement precision
If multiple images are acquired for shading correction, then correction precision is improved, but imaging time increases due to additional calibration imaging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the multiple images acquired for virtual slide construction serve dual purposes: both as the final output images and as the reference data for shading correction. By using common regions from these same images to calculate correction gains, the method eliminates the need for separate calibration images, achieving high correction precision without additional imaging time.
Data Source
AI summary
An image processing device includes: an image acquiring unit configured to acquire a plurality of images of different imaging fields of view on the same subject; an image selector configured to select, from the plurality of images acquired, in which a common region of a predetermined size is set at a common position in the individual images, a plurality of image pairs that are combinations of images in which a subject image in the common region in one image corresponds to a subject image in a region other than the common region in another image; a correction gain calculating unit configured to calculate a correction gain for performing shading correction; and an image correcting unit configured to correct shading produced in a correction-target image, using the correction gain calculated by the correction gain calculating unit.