Aquatic autosampler device

An aquatic autosampler device, comprising:

• a filter;
• a plate having a first side and a second side;
• a valve manifold plumbed to said filter and mounted on the first side of the plate;
• a syringe plumbed to said valve manifold and mounted on the second side of the plate;
• a filter housing mounted on the first side of the plate and positioned to enclose said filter, the filter housing having a first end and a second end, the first end being plumbed to the valve manifold and the second end being plumbed to the syringe, the filter holder being slidably mounted on a rod;
• a filter carousel mounted on the second side of the plate, the filter carousel having a plurality of filter tubes, the filter carousel being rotatable such that the filter may be moved from one of the filter tubes into the filter holder;
• and
• an imaging system.

A method of water sampling, comprising the steps of:

• providing a filter in a position to receive a water sample;
• providing an aquatic autosampler having
• a syringe positioned to sample said water;
• a valve manifold plumbed to said syringe;
• a filter shuttle having a movable filter housing, the filter shuttle having a first boss and a second boss, the first boss being plumbed to the valve manifold and the second boss being plumbed to the syringe, and
• a filter carousel positioned to align with the filter housing the filter carousel having a filter tube, the filter tube having a filter elevator;
• loading the filter into the filter tube;
• rotating the filter carousel to line up the loaded filter tube with the filter holder;
• moving the filter elevator within the filter tube to load the filter housing into the filter holder;
• moving the loaded filter holder such that the filter is between the first boss and the second boss;
• drawing in fluid through the valve manifold into the syringe, the fluid passing through the filter collecting cells in the fluid on the filter;
• and
• identifying and quantifying the cells on the filter.

A method of fluid sampling comprising the steps of:

• moving a fresh filter from a filter carousel into a filter holder in a load position;
• shifting the filter holder to a process position in a fluid path;
• heating said filter;
• drawing a fluid sample through the filter;
• shifting the filter holder to an unload position;
• moving the filter from the unload position to a spent filter position in the filter carousel and imaging the filter with its collected sample after the filter holder has been shifted to the unload position.