Method And System For Optical Measurements Of Contained Liquids Having A Free Surface
AssigneeBacterioScan LTD.
InventorDan Vadim Regelman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention is an optical measurement system for measuring a liquid sample within a well. The system comprises a light source configured to transmit light though the well, a detector configured to measure optical signals derived from the transmitted light, and a tunable optical element. The tunable optical element is positioned between the light source and the well. The tunable optical element is operable to shape the light to compensate for distortions induced by a surface of the liquid sample. The detector is preferably located below the well for receiving a forward scatter signal indicative of at least one characteristic of the particles within the liquid sample.
Claims22
(canceled)
2-20. (canceled)
An optical measurement system for measuring at least one characteristic of particles within liquid samples, comprising:
- a microplate having a plurality of wells positioned in a two-dimensional arrangement;
- a light source for transmitting an input beam toward a free surface of a liquid sample in one of the plurality of wells and generally parallel to a central axis of the one of the plurality of wells;
- a tunable optical element located between the light source and the free surface of the liquid sample, wherein the tunable optical element is operable to alter the shape of the input beam between a first shape resulting in the input beam not being collimated and a second shape resulting in collimating the input beam to compensate for a distortion associated with the free surface of the liquid sample;
- a detector located below the one of the plurality of wells for receiving a forward scatter signal indicative of at least one characteristic of the particles within the liquid sample in the one of the plurality of wells;
- and
- an input-beam attenuator to inhibit a transmitted portion of the input beam from impinging upon the detector, the transmitted portion of the input beam being the portion of the input beam that has transmitted through the liquid sample.
A method of determining at least one characteristic of particles within a liquid that is contained in a well of a plurality of wells arranged in an array in a microplate, comprising:
- transmitting a light beam toward a free surface of the liquid in one of the plurality of wells;
- prior to the light beam impinging on the free surface, altering a shape of the light beam via a tunable optical element, between a first shape resulting in the input beam not being collimated and a second shape resulting in collimating the input beam to result in a substantially focused beam shape within the liquid in the well after the input beam has been subjected to optical distortions at the free surface;
- attenuating the input beam at a location before a detector;
- and
- receiving forward scatter signals at the detector, the forward scatter signals being indicative of at least one characteristic of the particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.