Upstream engaging fluid switch for serial conveying
AssigneeWeyerhaeuser Company
InventorMichael K. McKinnis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides apparatus and methods useful, for example, for introducing a desired spacing between or classifying and sorting objects, e.g. plant embryos. Objects carried serially in a fluid stream enter the apparatus via an upstream conduit. A sensor associated with the conduit provides information regarding an object at a particular location in the upstream conduit and produces a signal. A switch coupled to the upstream conduit directs the fluid stream to an appropriate downstream conduit by applying a force to a conduit, e.g., by aligning the upstream conduit with a downstream conduit to create a fluid-tight path. Apparatus according to the present invention are particularly useful for manipulating fragile multicellular biological objects such as plant embryos.
Claims7
An apparatus that produces a desired spacing between randomly spaced apart objects carried serially by a stream of a fluid, the apparatus comprising:
- an upstream fluid conduit and first and second downstream fluid conduits;
- a sensor associated with the upstream fluid conduit operable to produce a signal upon detecting a first object at a location in the upstream conduit;
- and
- a switch coupled to the upstream conduit operable in response to the signal to deliver the fluid stream to the first downstream conduit, then, after a predetermined time, to deliver the fluid stream to the second downstream conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.