Microparticle sorting apparatus and delay time determination method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10466158-B2
Application number	US-201815919012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2018
Priority date	Apr 11, 2017
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A microparticle sorting apparatus includes a detection unit which detects microparticles flowing through a flow path; an imaging device which images a droplet containing the microparticles which is discharged from an orifice provided on an edge portion of the flow path; a charge unit which applies a charge to the droplets; and a control unit which determines a delay time as from a time that the microparticles are detected by the detection unit to the time at which the sum of intensity of an image region imaged by the imaging device reaches a maximum, making it possible for the charge unit to apply a charge to the microparticles once the delay time has lapsed after the microparticles are detected by the detection unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microparticle sorting apparatus comprising:
a detector configured to detect microparticles flowing through a flow path;
an imaging device configured to obtain an image of a droplet containing at least one of the microparticles, wherein the droplet is discharged from an orifice provided on the flow path creating a droplet stream; and
a controller configured to:
control the imaging device to obtain the image, the image including a first image region having a first plurality of sub-areas, a second image region having a second plurality of sub-areas, and a third image region having a third plurality of sub-areas;
obtain the image at a plurality of different times;
for each of the plurality of different times, determine an intensity of brightness for each of the first plurality of sub-areas, each of the second plurality of sub-areas, and each of the third plurality of sub-areas;
add the intensity of brightness for each of the first plurality of sub-areas to obtain a first image region sum of intensity, the intensity of brightness for each of the second plurality of sub-areas to obtain a second image region sum of intensity, and the intensity of brightness for each of the third plurality of sub-areas to obtain a third image region sum of intensity, thereby obtaining a first image region sum of intensity, a second image region sum of intensity, and a third image region sum of intensity at each of the plurality of different times;
determine a delay time from the time at which the detector detects microparticles flowing through the flow path to the time at which the first image region sum of intensity is at a maximum by determining a maximum sum of intensity characteristic, the maximum sum of intensity characteristic being based, at least in part, on: the first image region sum of intensity, the second image region sum of intensity, and the third image region sum of intensity; and
set a timing for applying a charge to the droplets based on the delay time.

2. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first image region is associated with a last attached droplet of the droplet stream.

3. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first image region is associated with a droplet following a last attached droplet of the droplet stream.

4. The micropraticle sorting apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the delay time is based on a droplet clock cycle;
wherein the charge is applied to the last attached droplet; and
wherein +1 droplet clock cycle is added to the delay time to obtain the delay time for the last attached droplet.

5. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different times occur at intervals based on a droplet clock cycle;
wherein the droplet clock cycle consists of 360 degrees and the plurality of different times occur at either twenty or forty degree intervals spanning three droplet clock cycles.

6. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the maximum sum of intensity characteristic is determined using a first image region sum of intensity ratio, including the first image region sum of intensity, the second image region sum of intensity, and the third image region sum of intensity:

first
⁢

⁢
image
⁢

⁢
region
⁢

⁢
sum
⁢

⁢
of
⁢

⁢
inteisity
⁢

⁢
ratio

=

(

first
⁢

⁢
image
⁢

⁢
region
⁢

⁢
sum
⁢

⁢
of
⁢

⁢
intensity

first
+
second
+

third
⁢

⁢
image
⁢

⁢
region
⁢

⁢
sums
⁢

⁢
of
⁢

⁢
intensity

)

.

7. A microparticle sorting apparatus comprising:
a detector configured to detect microparticles flowing through a flow path;
an imaging device configured to obtain an image of a droplet containing at least one of the microparticles, wherein the droplet is discharged from an orifice provided on the flow path; and
a non-transitory storage medium that stores computer readable instructions that when executed by processing circuitry cause the processing circuitry to:
divide the image into a plurality of image regions, and
determine a delay time based on a maximum sum of intensity characteristic, the maximum sum of intensity characteristic being based, at least in part, on a first image region sum of intensity, a second image region sum of intensity, and a third image region sum of intensity.

8. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 7 , wherein each image region includes at least one microparticle.

9. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the image includes a plurality of images obtained in a plurality of difference times.

10. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of different times is based on a droplet clock cycle and spans three droplet clock cycles.

11. The microparticle sorting apparatus of claim 10 , wherein each droplet clock cycle consists of three hundred and sixty degrees and wherein the plurality of different times occur at twenty degree intervals.

12. The microparticle

Assignees

• Sony Corp
• Sony Corp America

Inventors

• Otsuka Fumitaka
• Zordan Michael
• Tsuji Akiko
• Suzuki Yuya
• Kimoto Masashi

Classifications

• G01N15/1425

  using an analyser being characterised by its control arrangement · CPC title

• G01N2015/1406

  Control of droplet point · CPC title

• G01N15/1404 Primary

  Handling flow, e.g. hydrodynamic focusing · CPC title

• G01N15/1436 Primary

  the optical arrangement forming an integrated apparatus with the sample container, e.g. a flow cell · CPC title

• G01N2015/144

  Imaging characterised by its optical setup · CPC title