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US 5,760,894 AGranted
Liquid sample analysis in an optical fourier transform system
AssigneePoint Source Limited
InventorSteven Henry Mersch
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AssigneePoint Source Limited
InventorSteven Henry Mersch
Estimating the term…
A liquid sample is placed into a sample container which is placed into an optical fourier transform system to produce an image representative of characteristics of the liquid sample and particles within the liquid sample. The container, formed of an optical material, includes microchannels which continuously increase in path length from a minimum path length at a first side to a maximum path length at a second side. In one embodiment, the microchannels are immediately adjacent one another while in another embodiment the microchannels are spaced from one another by a defined spacing. By spacing the microchannels from one another, two fourier transform images are generated within the system, one a refracted image and the other a diffracted image. In addition, by forming the second sides of the spaced microchannels at an acute angle relative to the plane of the microchannels, a reflected fourier transform image can also be generated within the system. The fourier transform images, refracted, diffracted or reflected, formed by the samples in the noted containers are one dimensional. Two dimensional fourier transform images can be generated by forming a plurality of parallel chemical strips within the microchannels and orienting the chemical strips generally perpendicular to the microchannels.
A liquid sample container for an optical fourier transform system, said liquid sample container comprising a housing defining a plurality of parallel open-ended sample receiving and holding optical microchannels lying adjacent one another within a plane to form an optical lenticular array, each of said optical microchannels defining a plurality of optical paths through said microchannel which optical paths continuously increase in optical path length from a minimum path length at a first side of said microchannel to a maximum path length at a second side of said microchannel, said housing permitting illumination of a liquid sample received and held within said microchannels along an optical axis intersecting said plane at an angle other than zero degrees, said housing being substantially transparent to said illumination so that said illumination passes entirely through said housing and said liquid sample held within said microchannels without being impeded by said housing wherein said illumination forms a fourier transform image at a fourier transform plane of said optical fourier transform system.
A liquid sample container for an optical fourier transform system, said liquid sample container comprising a housing defining a plurality of parallel open-ended sample receiving and holding optical microchannels extending in a first direction and lying within a plane and a plurality of parallel chemical strips formed within said sample container and oriented generally perpendicular to said microchannels, said housing permitting illumination of a liquid sample received within said microchannels along an optical axis intersecting said plane at an angle other than zero degrees wherein said plurality of chemical strips are spaced so that said illumination forms a two dimensional fourier transform image at a fourier transform plane of said optical fourier transform system.
A liquid sample container comprising a housing defining a plurality of parallel open-ended sample receiving and holding optical microchannels extending in a first direction and lying within a plane, said microchannels being spaced from one another by a defined spacing and said housing permitting illumination of a liquid sample received and held within said microchannels along an optical axis intersecting said plane at an angle other than zero degrees, said housing being substantially transparent to said illumination so that said illumination passes entirely through said housing and said liquid sample held within said microchannels without being impeded by said housing, said defined spacing forming clear openings between said microchannels.
A liquid sample container for an optical fourier transform system said liquid sample container comprising a housing defining a plurality of substantially equally spaced parallel open-ended sample receiving and holding optical microchannels extending in a first direction and lying within a plane, each of said microchannels defining a plurality of optical paths through said microchannel which optical paths continuously increase in optical path length from a minimum path length at a first side of said microchannel to a maximum path length adjacent a second side of said microchannel and which second side of said microchannel is acutely angled relative to said plane at an angle near the critical angle for total internal reflection given a nominal index of refraction for a sample to be received within said liquid sample container, said housing permitting illumination of a liquid sample received and held within said microchannels along an optical axis intersecting said plane at an angle other than zero degrees, said housing being substantially transparent to said illumination so that said illumination passes entirely through said housing and said liquid sample held within said microchannels without being impeded by said housing wherein said illumination forms a fourier transform image at a fourier transform plane of said optical fourier transform system.
A method of analyzing a liquid sample comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.