Method and apparatus for flow cytometry
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- establishing a stream in a flow cytometer;
capturing a first image of the stream established in the flow cytometer;
creating a first image representation of the stream based on the first image;
capturing a second image of the stream established in the flow cytometer;
creating a second image representation of the stream based on the second image;
comparing the second image representation of the stream to the first image representation of the stream; and
determining whether a property of the stream has changed based on the comparison of the first image representation of the stream with the second image representation of the stream.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A flow cytometer capable of utilizing an imaging system to determine various properties of the flow cytometer. Importantly, the imaging allows for determination of a drop delay time. Other characteristics that can be determined include at least the width of the stream, pressure of the stream, effect of charged droplets on other droplets, trajectory of the stream, resonant frequency, wavelengths, change in position of droplet break-off point, and others. An automatic warning system can be used to alert an operator of an anomaly during setup or during normal operation. Furthermore, a mechanical interrupter can be used to shield a sort result from contamination by an incorrectly functioning stream. The cytometer also allows for the disablement of the sort, particularly the charging and deflection systems. In addition, a more accurate system for detecting the speed of the stream can be used. The imaging system can allow for the removal of background noise and the monitoring of a change in a stream characteristic.
331 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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establishing a stream in a flow cytometer;
capturing a first image of the stream established in the flow cytometer;
creating a first image representation of the stream based on the first image;
capturing a second image of the stream established in the flow cytometer;
creating a second image representation of the stream based on the second image;
comparing the second image representation of the stream to the first image representation of the stream; and
determining whether a property of the stream has changed based on the comparison of the first image representation of the stream with the second image representation of the stream. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
creating an outline of the stream.
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3. The method as described in claim 2 wherein the act of creating an outline of the stream further comprises creating an outline of a droplet.
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4. The method as described in claim 2, or 3 and further comprising
storing an outline of the stream in memory. -
5. The method as described in claim 1, 2, or 3 and further comprising:
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comparing the second image representation to the first image representation; and
detecting a change in the representation of the stream between the first image representation and the second image representation.
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6. The method as described in claim 1 and further comprising:
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determining an approximate speed of the stream at a first position along the stream;
determining an approximate speed of the stream at a second position along the stream; and
modeling the speed of the stream as decaying approximately exponentially relative to a distance in a region occurring between about a stream exit point and about a droplet breakoff point.
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7. The method as described in claim 1 and further comprising:
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determining a resonant frequency for the stream from said first or second image; and
generating a signal for the flow cytometer based on the determined resonant frequency for the stream from the first or second image.
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8. The method as described in claim 1 and further comprising:
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determining a pressure of the stream from said first or second image; and
generating a signal for the flow cytometer based on the determined pressure from the first or second image.
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9. The method as described in claim 1 and further comprising:
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determining a wavelength of a wave of the stream from said first or second image; and
generating a signal for the flow cytometer based on the determined wavelength from the first or second image.
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10. A flow cytometer apparatus comprising:
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a stream source used to establish a stream;
a camera to capture images of the stream;
an image element which creates a first image representation of the stream;
a memory to store a first image representation of the stream;
an image element which creates a second image representation of the stream;
a comparator to compare the first image representation of the stream with the second image representation of the stream; and
a signal generator to generate a signal to the flow cytometer based on the comparison of the first image representation of the stream with the second image representation of the stream, wherein the signal indicates whether a property of the stream has changed. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
an outline element which creates an outline of the stream.
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12. The flow cytometer as described in claim 11 wherein the outline element is configured to create an outline of a droplet.
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13. The flow cytometer as described in claim 10 and further comprising:
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a sensor to determine when the operation of the flow cytometer does not satisfy at least one predetermined parameter for the flow cytometer; and
a mechanical interruption device that interrupts the stream based on the determination made by the sensor.
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Specification