Coincidence arbitration in a flow cytomery sorting system
First Claim
1. A particle detecting and sorting apparatus comprising:
- means for detecting particles in a flowing liquid containing particles, for identifying selected ones of said detected particles and for thereafter forming said flowing liquid into droplets at a droplet formation rate, the time between formed droplets thereby being a droplet formation period, only some of said droplets containing said detected particles;
means, including delay means, responsive to said detected particles, for providing a sort signal each time a particle is detected, unless a coincidence occurs between that detected particle and one of a non-selected or differently identified detected particle within one droplet formation period of that detected particle; and
means, responsive to said sort signal, for sorting said droplets.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A coincidence arbitration system for a sorting cytomteter which detects and sorts particles using a flow chamber and a stream of droplets. Those droplets containing selected particles are sorted by selectively applying a charge thereto and passing the droplets through deflection plates. After detection, the particle data is delayed and analyzed to make sort decisions. The delay is for a period of one and one fourth droplet time periods less than the time the particle is formed into a droplet. At the time the command is issued creating the charge on the droplet to be formed, the coincidence arbitration circuit looks four quarter droplet times ahead and behind of the event to determine whether a coincidence is occurring, and if so, whether the coincidence is with a similar type of particle or a different type of particle. Based on this information, appropriated sort or no-sort commands are issued.
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Citations
45 Claims
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1. A particle detecting and sorting apparatus comprising:
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means for detecting particles in a flowing liquid containing particles, for identifying selected ones of said detected particles and for thereafter forming said flowing liquid into droplets at a droplet formation rate, the time between formed droplets thereby being a droplet formation period, only some of said droplets containing said detected particles; means, including delay means, responsive to said detected particles, for providing a sort signal each time a particle is detected, unless a coincidence occurs between that detected particle and one of a non-selected or differently identified detected particle within one droplet formation period of that detected particle; and means, responsive to said sort signal, for sorting said droplets. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A particle detecting and sorting apparatus having a detection station for asynchronously providing a set of data signals manifesting the detection and various parameters of a plurality of particles flowing in a liquid stream containing said plurality of particles, and a sorting station having means, responsive to a droplet signal having a certain droplet rate, for breaking said liquid stream into a series of droplets, only certain ones of which contain said detected particles and means for sorting said droplets into various categories, said apparatus further having logic means for detecting coincidences of particles at said sorting station comprising:
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means, responsive to said data signals, for providing a series of category signals, in synchronism with said droplet signal and at a rate greater than said certain droplet rate, only one of said category signals manifesting a detected particle at any given time; means for storing a plurality of successive category signals; and means, coupled to said means for storing, for detecting, for each one category signal provided, a coincidence between said one category signal and those category signals occurring within a finite time before and after said one category signal and for selectively aborting the sorting of a droplet associated with said one category signal having a detected coincidence. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method of detecting and sorting a plurality of different particles flowing in a liquid stream, comprising the steps of:
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detecting each particle in said stream and providing a series of asynchronously occurring particle signals manifesting the detection of unidentified particles and a plurality of identified particles; forming said stream into a series of sortable droplets in response to a sort signal, selected ones of said droplets containing said particles; delaying and synchronizing said particle signals to the formation of said droplets; detecting the occurrence of coincidences between said particle signals within a certain time period surrounding the formation of each droplet and whether or not said coincidence is between the same identified particles; and providing said sort signal each time said particle signal manifests an identified particle, unless a coincidence with a different identified, or an unidentified, particle is detected. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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Specification