Optical lens system and method for microfluidic devices
First Claim
1. An apparatus for imaging one or more selected fluorescence indications from a microfluidic device, the apparatus comprising:
- an imaging path coupled to least one chamber in at least one microfluidic device, the imaging path providing for transmission of one or more fluorescent emission signals derived from one or more samples in the at least one chamber of the at least one microfluidic device, the chamber having a chamber size, the chamber size being characterized by an actual spatial dimension normal to the imaging path; and
an optical lens system coupled to the imaging path, the optical lens system being adapted to transmit the one or more fluorescent signals associated with the chamber.
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Abstract
An apparatus for imaging one or more selected fluorescence indications from a microfluidic device. The apparatus includes an imaging path coupled to least one chamber in at least one microfluidic device. The imaging path provides for transmission of one or more fluorescent emission signals derived from one or more samples in the at least one chamber of the at least one microfluidic device. The chamber has a chamber size, the chamber size being characterized by an actual spatial dimension normal to the imaging path. The apparatus also includes an optical lens system coupled to the imaging path. The optical lens system is adapted to transmit the one or more fluorescent signals associated with the chamber.
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Citations
80 Claims
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1. An apparatus for imaging one or more selected fluorescence indications from a microfluidic device, the apparatus comprising:
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an imaging path coupled to least one chamber in at least one microfluidic device, the imaging path providing for transmission of one or more fluorescent emission signals derived from one or more samples in the at least one chamber of the at least one microfluidic device, the chamber having a chamber size, the chamber size being characterized by an actual spatial dimension normal to the imaging path; and
an optical lens system coupled to the imaging path, the optical lens system being adapted to transmit the one or more fluorescent signals associated with the chamber. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of imaging one or more selected fluorescence indications from at least one chamber of a microfluidic device, the method comprising:
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transmitting one or more fluorescent emission signals derived from one or more samples in the at least one chamber of at least one microfluidic device along an imaging path coupled to the at least one chamber, wherein the at least one chamber has a chamber size, the chamber size being characterized by an actual spatial dimension normal to the imaging path; and
transmitting the one or more fluorescent emission signals associated with the chamber through an optical lens system coupled to the imaging path, wherein the optical lens system is adapted to reduce a size of the actual spatial dimension to a determined level. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for imaging one or more indications from one or more chambers of a microfluidic device, the system comprising:
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an optical path, the optical path being capable of transmitting one or more images of a portion of a spatial region of a microfluidic device from the portion of the spatial region of the microfluidic device, the portion of the spatial region of the microfluidic device being characterized by a first dimension;
a first lens system coupled to a first portion of the optical path, the first lens system being characterized by a first optical characteristic;
a second lens system coupled to a second portion of the optical path, the second lens system being characterized by a second optical characteristic; and
a detector device coupled to a third portion of the optical path, the detector device capturing the one or more images of the portion of the spatial region, the detector being adapted to capture the one or more images, the one or more images having a determined size at the detector device of about the first dimension or less. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for imaging one or more indications from one or more chambers of a microfluidic device, the method comprising:
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transmitting one or more images of a portion of a spatial region of a microfluidic device from the portion of the spatial region of the microfluidic device along an optical path, the portion of the spatial region of the microfluidic device being characterized by a first dimension;
coupling a first lens system to a first portion of the optical path, the first lens system being characterized by a first optical characteristic;
coupling a second lens system to a second portion of the optical path, the second lens system being characterized by a second optical characteristic; and
capturing the one or more images of the portion of the spatial region using a detector device, the detector device being coupled to a third portion of the optical path, the one or more images having a determined size at the detector device of about the first dimension or less. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. A method of imaging microfluidic devices, the method comprising:
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transmitting an image of a spatial region of a microfluidic device, the spatial region being associated with more than 96 chambers; and
capturing the image of the spatial region using an image detection spatial region associated with an image detecting device, the image detection spatial region being of about an equal size of the spatial region of the microfluidic device. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method of imaging microfluidic devices, the method comprising:
capturing an image of a spatial region associated with at least a determined number of chambers of a microfluidic device using an image detection spatial region during a time frame of less than one minute, whereupon the capturing of the image of the spatial region is substantially free from a stitching and/or scanning process. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. An apparatus for imaging one or more selected fluorescence indications from a microfluidic device, the apparatus comprising:
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an imaging path coupled to least one chamber in at least one microfluidic device, the imaging path providing for transmission of one or more fluorescent emission signals derived from one or more samples in the at least one chamber of the at least one microfluidic device; and
an optical filter device coupled to a first spatial portion of the imaging path provided for transmission of the one or more emission signals, the optical filter device being adapted to transmit a selected spectral bandwidth from the one or more fluorescent emission signals and being adapted to process one or more chromatic aberrations associated with the one or more fluorescent emission signals to a determined level. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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53. A method of analyzing processes in elastomeric microfluidic devices, the method comprising:
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capturing an image of at least 96 chambers in a time period of less than one minute, wherein each of the chambers in the at least 96 chambers is in fluidic isolation from any of the other chambers in the at least 96 chambers; and
processing the image. - View Dependent Claims (54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62)
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63. An apparatus for imaging an microfluidic device comprising a plurality of processing sites, the plurality of processing sites containing at least one sample selected from M samples and at least one reagent selected from N reagents, the apparatus comprising:
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an illumination system coupled to the microfluidic device and adapted to illuminate the microfluidic device with electromagnetic radiation;
an imaging system coupled to the microfluidic device and adapted to receive electromagnetic radiation emitted from the plurality of processing sites; and
a detector coupled to the imaging system. - View Dependent Claims (64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74)
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75. An optical imaging system, the system comprising:
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a computer;
an optical illumination system adapted to illuminate an elastomeric microfluidic array device including at least 1,536 reaction chambers in fluidic isolation, the elastomeric microfluidic array device comprising an elastomeric block formed from a plurality of layers, wherein at least one layer has at least one recess formed therein, the recess having at least one deflectable membrane integral to the layer with the recess; and
an optical detection system. - View Dependent Claims (76, 77, 78, 79, 80)
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Specification