DROPLET DETECTION SYSTEM

• US 20080240542A1
• Filed: 10/03/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WAKO Pure Chemical Industries Limited (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation), Kalypsys Inc
• Original Assignee: Kalypsys Inc
• Inventors: Hughes, Rose, Queeney, Paul J.
• Application Number:
  US11/866,784
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240542A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/141
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 23/292 Light , e.g. infrared or ultraviolet
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 25/0092 for metering by volume
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/1018 Detecting inhomogeneities, e.g. foam, bubbles, clots

Abstract

A system for a droplet detection device to monitor the dispensing operation in an ultra high throughput (uHTS) system. The system includes a microtitre plate with a defined number of wells and well walls, a dispenser for dispensing fluids into the wells, an illuminating sensor to extract image features from the wells and well walls, and a controller for analyzing the extracted image features to determine the presence or absence of the dispensing fluid on the wells and well walls.

Claims

1. The droplet detection device for monitoring a dispensing operation in a high throughput system, said device comprising:

a plate with a predetermined number of wells and well walls;

an image capturing device to extract image features from said wells and/or well walls; and

a control processor for analyzing said extracted image features to determine the presence of dispensing fluid on said wells and said well walls.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said image capturing device comprises a camera and an illumination device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said controller detects a clog condition in the dispensing operation by measuring variations in light intensity on the well walls and on surfaces of the plate.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said controller detects a clog condition in the dispensing operation by measuring fluid content of each of said wells.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein detection of said clog condition triggers an operator intervention.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein detection of said clog condition triggers an operator intervention.

7. The droplet detection device for monitoring dispensing operations in a high throughput system, said device comprising:

a plate with a predetermined number of wells and well walls;

one or more cameras each with built-in electronics to extract image features from said wells and well walls;

a pair of illumination devices adjacent to said cameras, respectively, to distribute reflected light onto said plate; and

a control processor for analyzing said extracted image features to determine the presence of said dispensing fluid on said wells and said well walls.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said built-in electronics comprise a frame grabber and an image processor.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein said controller detects a clog condition in the dispensing operation by measuring variations in light intensity on the well walls.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein said controller detects a clog condition in the dispensing operation by measuring fluid content of each of said wells.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein detection of said clog condition triggers an operator intervention.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein detection of said clog condition triggers an operator intervention.

13. A method for detecting droplets dispensed in a plate with a plurality of wells in a high throughput system, said method comprising:

dispensing fluids into said wells of said plate;

illuminating said plate with reflected light;

extracting image features from said wells and well walls; and

processing said extracted image features to determine the presence of said dispensing fluid on said wells and said well walls.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said analyzing step detects a clog condition in the dispensing operation by measuring variations in light intensity on the well walls.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said analyzing step detects a clog condition in the dispensing operation by measuring fluid content of each of said wells.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein detection of said clog condition triggers an operator intervention.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein detection of said clog condition triggers an operator intervention.

18. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to perform the steps of:

interfacing with an operator, camera, external device, or motion controller;

determining one or more positions of a plate and acquiring one or more images of the plate;

aligning one or more image windows onto said one or more images;

analyzing said one or more images to detect droplets and full or empty wells;

controlling information transfer between a frame grabber and said camera; and

notifying the operator based on notification criteria.