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AssigneeBio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsTom McCollum, Paul Patt, Frank Shen, Daniel Y. Chu, Don Flory, Mike Griffin, Xin Heng, Eli Hefner
Estimating the term…
Biological cells in a liquid suspension are counted in an automated cell counter that focuses an image of the suspension on a digital imaging sensor that contains at least 4,000,000 pixels each having an area of 2×2 μm or less and that images a field of view of at least 3 mm2. The sensor enables the counter to compress the optical components into an optical path of less than 20 cm in height when arranged vertically with no changes in direction of the optical path as a whole, and the entire instrument has a footprint of less than 300 cm2. Activation of the light source, automated focusing of the sensor image, and digital cell counting are all initiated by the simple insertion of the sample holder into the instrument. The suspension is placed in a sample chamber in the form of a slide that is shaped to ensure proper orientation of the slide in the cell counter.
An automated cell counter comprising optical components, a sample mount for receiving a sample slide, and a housing retaining said optical components and sample mount, said optical components comprising a light source, a digital imaging sensor, and lenses positioned to direct light from said light source to said digital imaging sensor through said sample mount, said optical components arranged in a linear optical path and arranged such that when a sample slide containing a cell suspension is mounted in said sample mount, an image of said cell suspension is projected onto said digital imaging sensor, said digital imaging sensor comprising at least about 4,000,000 pixels and imaging a field of view at said sample mount of at least 3 mm2, each pixel being 2×2 mm or less in area, wherein the automated cell counter comprises an aspect for correcting curvature of a focus field, and wherein said optical path is vertically oriented and said housing is mounted to a support base that is at least as wide as said housing, said housing and support base each occupying lateral areas of not more than 300 cm2, said optical path having a total height of not more than 20 cm, said housing is 30 cm or less in height and said sample mount is at least 6 cm above said surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.