Microscope system and method for estimating microscope magnification
Provided is a microscope system including: a microscope that includes an optical member disposed in an optical path so as to be switchable and that acquires an image of a specimen; and a processor including hardware, wherein the processor is configured to implement: a magnification-estimation unit that, on the basis of a pre-switching optical magnification of the optical member in the microscope, is configured to estimate a post-switching optical magnification, wherein while scaling one of a pre-switching image acquired before switching of the optical member and a post-switching image acquired after switching of the optical member to a plurality of search images respectively corresponding to a plurality of search magnifications, the magnification-estimation unit is configured to calculate a degree of similarity to the other image and estimates the post-switching optical magnification from the search magnification when the calculated degree of similarity becomes the maximum.
1. A microscope system comprising:
a microscope comprising
at least a first optical member having a known pre-switching magnification and a second optical member having an unknown post-switching magnification; and
an image sensor configured to acquire a pre-switching image based on an observation image formed by the first optical member and to acquire a post-switching image based on an observation image formed by the second optical member; and
a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to perform an estimation process comprising:
determine different search magnifications;
for each of the different search magnifications:
determine a relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
based on the relationship determined, perform one of:
a first process comprising:
generate a search image by scaling the post-switching image based on the relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
calculate a degree of similarity, associated with the each of the different search magnifications, between the pre-switching image and the search image; and
a second process comprising:
generate the search image by scaling the pre-switching image based on the relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications: and
calculate the degree of similarity between the post switching image and the search image; and
select one of the different search magnifications having the degree of similarity that is a maximum amongst the degrees of similarities calculated, as an estimate of the unknown post-switching magnification.
2. The microscope system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to:
determine whether the relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications is:
a first relationship where the each of the search magnifications is equal to or larger than the pre-switching magnification; or
a second relationship where the each of the search magnifications is less than the pre-switching magnification;
based on the relationship determined being the first relationship, perform the first process comprising:
generate the search image by scaling the post-switching image based on a ratio of the pre-switching magnification to the each of the search magnifications; and
calculate the degree of similarity between the pre-switching image and the search image; and
based on the relationship determined being the second relationship, perform the second process comprising:
generate the search image by scaling the pre-switching image based on a ratio of the each of the search magnifications to the pre-switching magnification; and
calculate the degree of similarity between the post-switching image and the search image.
3. The microscope system according to claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the processor is configured to:
detect switching from the fist optical member to the second optical member; and
in response to detecting the switching from the first optical member to the second optical member, perform the estimation process.
4. The microscope system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor is configured to determine the different search magnification from a predetermined set of different search magnifications.
5. A method for estimating an unknown post-switching magnification of a microscope comprising:
at least a first optical member having a known pre-switching magnification and a second optical member having the unknown post-switching magnification; and
an image sensor configured to acquire a pre-switching image based on an observation image formed by the first optical member and to acquire a post-switching image based on an observation image formed by the second optical member,
wherein the method comprises:
determining different search magnifications;
for each of the different search magnifications:
determining a relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
based on the relationship determined, performing one of:
a first process comprising:
generating a search image by scaling the post-switching image based on the relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
calculating a degree of similarity, associated with the each of the different search magnifications, between the pre-switching image and the search image; and
a second process comprising:
generating the search image by scaling the pre-switching image based on the relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
calculating a degree of similarity, between the post switching image and the search image; and
selecting one of the different search magnification having the degree of similarity that is a maximum amongst the degrees of similarities calculated, as an estimate of the unknown posts-switching magnification.
6. A system for estimating an unknown post-switching magnification of a microscope comprising:
at least a first optical member having a known pre-switching magnification and a second optical member having an unknown post-switching magnification; and
an image sensor configured to acquire a pre-switching image based on an observation image formed by the first optical member and to acquire a post-switching-triage based on an observation image formed by the second optical member, wherein the system comprises a processor comprising hardware, wherein the processor is configured to:
determine different search magnifications;
for each of the different search magnifications:
determine a relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
based on the relationship determined, perform one of:
a first process comprising:
generate a search image by scaling the post-switching image based on the relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
calculate a degree of similarity, associated with the each of the different search magnifications, between the pre-switching image and the search image; and
a second process comprising:
generate the search image by scaling the pre-switching image based on the relationship between the pre-switching magnification and the each of the different search magnifications; and
calculate the degree of similarity between the post switching image and the search image; and
select one of the different search magnifications having the degree of similarity that is a maximum amongst the degrees of similarities calculated, as an estimate of the unknown post-switching magnification.