Apparatus and method for labeling rows and columns in an irregular array

1. A method comprising:

analyzing an image representing a medical slide that includes a number of tissue samples arranged in an array-like arrangement;

forming a first local lattice representing a portion of the array-like arrangement of tissue samples;

forming a measure of how well the actual tissue samples within the array-like arrangement fit to the first local lattice; and

using said first local lattice and said measure to produce information indicative of actual locations of said tissue samples.

2. A method as in claim 1 , wherein said first local lattice includes lattice vectors representing a first local lattice structure of a specified size surrounding a center point, and said measure represents how well actual points of the tissue samples fit to the local lattice structure.

3. A method as in claim 2 , wherein said first local lattice structure is a 3×3 grid of points, with a central centroid, and eight nearest neighbors.

4. A method as in claim 2 , wherein said first local lattice structure is a 5×5 grid of points.

5. A method as in claim 2 , wherein said measure represents a quality of fitness value, based on a least-mean-squares fit between actual points of the tissue samples and said first local lattice structure.

6. A method as in claim 2 , further comprising finding actual points of the tissue samples which have a measure that is lower than a specified amount, and marking said points as being suspicious points.

7. A method as in claim 1 , wherein said information comprises coordinating of samples in the array.

8. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising finding a best local lattice structure, and finding best lattice vectors that describe the local lattice structure.

9. A method as in claim 8 , further comprising, after finding a best first local lattice structure, analyzing other areas of said medical slide to find a second local lattice structure in another area.

10. A method as in claim 9 , wherein said analyzing other areas comprises using said best lattice vectors as starting points for the local lattice structures of said other areas.

11. A method as in claim 1 , further comprising finding possible locations which may falsely represent tissue samples, and marking said locations as suspicious points.

12. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer-based analyzing structure, which obtains an image of a medical slide with a number of tissue samples arranged in an array, said analyzing structure forming a first measure that represents lattice parameters for only a portion of tissue samples within the image forming a first local lattice, and a second measure of how well the actual tissue samples fit to the first local lattice; and

using said first and second measures to automatically locate and assign coordinates to samples in the array, wherein said computer analyzing structure finds a best first local lattice structure, and uses said first and second measures when analyzing other areas of said medical slide to find a second local lattice structure therein.

13. An apparatus as in claim 12 , further comprising a camera which acquires an image of the slide.

14. An apparatus as in claim 13 , further comprising an xy stage which moves said stage in x and y directions to locations where images of the slide can be located.

15. An apparatus as in claim 12 , further comprising a barcode label reader, which reads a barcode from the slide, and associates an identifier read from the barcode with the image.

16. An apparatus as in claim 12 , wherein said first local lattice structure is a 3×3 grid of points, with a central centroid, and eight nearest neighbors.

17. An apparatus as in claim 12 , wherein said first local lattice structure is a 5×5 grid of points.

18. An apparatus as in claim 12 , wherein said second measure represents a quality of fitness value, based on a least-mean-squares fit between a model lattice and an actual lattice that is determined by said computer based analyzing structure.