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US 10,502,609 B2Granted
Interferometric measurement of liquid volumes
OwnerHans-Christian Luedemanninventor
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OwnerHans-Christian Luedemanninventor
Estimating the term…
An apparatus and method for the accurate and non-invasive measurement of the volume of liquid samples by optical interferometry. Small volumes of liquid samples are often contained in and partially fill the wells of a microplate. A low-coherence interferometric ranging system is used to determine the topography of the sample surface exposed by each well. The surface topography, together with the measured, or otherwise known, dimensions of the well, determine the volume of the liquid sample. Embodiment options include confining the optical beams of the interferometer to optical fiber and varying the optical-path length by piezo-electric stretching of a portion of the fiber. Other embodiment options include automation of data collection by stepping the microplate beneath the interferometer, pixelating the optical beam of the interferometer and scanning the microplate by scanning the sample beam of the interferometer with a mirror. Uniformity of the microplate wells is not required.
A system for measurement of the elevation of a free surface of a liquid sample above a support surface, wherein the liquid sample is held by the support surface, the system comprising:
A system for measurement of the elevation of a free surface of a liquid sample above a support surface, wherein the liquid sample is held by the support surface, the system comprising:
A system for measurement of the elevation of a free surface of a liquid sample above a support surface, wherein the liquid sample is held by the support surface, the system comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.