Method and apparatus for correcting lens and detector non-uniformities

摘要

A method and apparatus for correcting an image of an electrophoresis gel for lens and detector non-uniformities is provided. The removal of such non-uniformities, in conjunction with a uniform illumination source, allows quantitative measurements of an electrophoresis gel to be made, thus increasing the information which can be obtained from an electrophoretic analysis. Lens and detector non-uniformities are removed by first determining the magnitude of the non-uniformities using a calibration standard. The calibration standard has a uniform emittance, preferably in the same wavelength band as the labeled regions of the electrophoresis gel. By placing the calibration standard in close proximity to the entrance aperture of the lens, the calibration process is relatively insensitive to illumination source non-uniformities. Thus an image of the calibration standard taken with the same lens settings as the unknown provides detailed information on the lens and detector non-uniformities. This information in conjunction with a darkfield image is used to correct the sample image.