Apparatus for photometrically analysing liquid samples
AssigneeNivarox-FAR S.A.
InventorsPierre-Andre Meyrat, Alain Oppliger, Denis Steiner
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Abstract
An apparatus for photometrically analyzing liquid samples comprises a capsule (1) in which a measuring cell (7) is housed. This cell is inserted in a flow circuit for liquid samples delivered from containers (R) travelling on a conveyor (17). Each sample is taken up by a pivoting arm (15) and with the aid of a pump (13). The volume of the measuring cell (7) is so calculated that the quantity of liquid sample contained in the containers (R) is sufficient firstly to rinse the cell with this liquid then for the measurement to be carried out. A particular application is the measurement of bioluminescence reactions produced in samples containing living organisms.
Claims13
Apparatus for photometrically analysing successive liquid samples, which comprises measurement cell means disposed in a light-proof enclosure and adapted to successively receive liquid samples to be analyzed, photometric detector means in said enclosure to receive a luminescent light signal representing a property of each sample and to supply an electrical signal corresponding to said light signal, and measurement processing means connected to said detector means to convert the electrical signal supplied by the detector means into data providing a visual display of said property, wherein said measurement cell means is disposed in a liquid flow circuit for successive liquid samples, said flow circuit comprising:
- input means for successively receiving said samples;
- pump means, coupled between said input means and said measurement cell means, for pumping said samples through said flow circuit;
- and control means, connected to said pump means, for controlling said pump means, each time a sample is to be pumped, during at least such a time interval that each sample has a volume large enough both to flush from said cell means any residue from a previous analysed sample and also to fill said cell means.
An apparatus for photometrically analyzing a succession of distinct liquid samples, said apparatus comprising:
- a light-proof enclosure;
- means, located in said light-proof enclosure, for defining therein a first cavity having a volume at most equal to the volume of each of a succession of distinct liquid samples to be analyzed;
- photometric detector means mounted in said enclosure so as to be in light-communication with said cavity, said photometric detector means being able to generate a signal representative of luminescent light generated in the liquid samples;
- input duct means connected to said cavity;
- pumping means connected to said input duct means for successively supplying thereto and to said cavity said liquid samples to be analyzed;
- control means, connected to said pump means, for controlling said pump means, each time a sample is to be pumped, during at least such a time interval that each sample has a volume large enough both to flush from the cavity any residue from a preceding sample and also to fill the cavity;
- output duct means also connected to said cavity for respectively evacuating therefrom each sample just analyzed;
- measurement processing means, connected to said photometric detector means, for converting said signal into data;
- and
- display means, connected to said measurement processing means so as to be responsive to data for displaying a visual representation of said data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.