Pathogen detection apparatus and pathogen detection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11435286-B2
Application number	US-202016908788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2020
Priority date	Mar 28, 2018
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A pathogen detection apparatus includes a collector that collects a pathogen in air; a reactor that causes the pathogen collected by the collector to react with a labeled substance; a time measurer that measures time from start of reaction in the reactor; a detector that detects a quantity of labeled substance that has reacted with the pathogen; and a controller. The controller calculates a gradient value on the basis of a predetermined time period from the start of reaction measured by the time measurer and the quantity of labeled substance detected by the detector, and determines, on the basis of the gradient value, a time interval to next collection that is to be performed by the collector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pathogen detection apparatus comprising:
a collector that collects a pathogen in air;
a reactor that causes the pathogen collected by the collector to react with a labeled substance;
a time measurer that measures time from start of reaction in the reactor;
a detector that detects a quantity of labeled substance that has reacted with the pathogen; and
a controller, wherein
the controller calculates a gradient value on the basis of a predetermined time period from the start of reaction measured by the time measurer and the quantity of labeled substance detected by the detector, and determines, on the basis of the gradient value, a time interval to next collection that is to be performed by the collector.

2. The pathogen detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detector includes a light irradiator that irradiates the reactor with excitation light, and detects the quantity of labeled substance on the basis of fluorescence generated by the labeled substance as a result of irradiation with the excitation light.

3. The pathogen detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the detector detects an intensity of the fluorescence generated by the labeled substance as a result of irradiation with the excitation light, and detects the quantity of labeled substance on the basis of the detected intensity of the fluorescence and chronological changes in attenuation of the intensity of the fluorescence detected by irradiating the labeled substance with the excitation light, the chronological changes being stored in advance.

4. The pathogen detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the light irradiator emits the excitation light at predetermined intervals,
the detector detects chronological changes in the quantity of labeled substance, and
the controller calculates the gradient value by dividing, by the predetermined time period, a result obtained by subtracting a first quantity of labeled substance from a second quantity of labeled substance in the chronological changes, the first quantity of labeled substance being detected through irradiation with the excitation light at a first timing that is the start of reaction, the second quantity of labeled substance being detected through irradiation with the excitation light at a second timing that is the predetermined time period after the first timing.

5. The pathogen detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the collector collects a first pathogen at a first time, the first pathogen being the pathogen,
the collector collects a second pathogen at a second time, collects a third pathogen at a third time, and does not collect a pathogen between the second time and the third time except for the first time, the second time being before the first time, the third time being after the first time,
the time interval is an interval between the first time and the third time, and
in a case where the gradient value related to the first pathogen is smaller than a predetermined threshold value, the controller sets the time interval to be longer than an interval between the second time and the first time.

6. The pathogen detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the collector collects a first pathogen at a first time, the first pathogen being the pathogen,
the collector collects a second pathogen at a second time, collects a third pathogen at a third time, and does not collect a pathogen between the second time and the third time except for the first time, the second time being before the first time, the third time being after the first time,
the time interval is an interval between the first time and the third time, and
in a case where the gradient value related to the first pathogen is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the controller sets the time interval to be shorter than an interval between the second time and the first time.

7. The pathogen detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller causes the detector to continue detecting the quantity of labeled substance in a case where the gradient value is larger than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, and causes the detector to discontinue detecting the quantity of labeled substance in a case where the gradient value is smaller than the predetermined threshold value.

8. A pathogen detection method comprising:
collecting a pathogen in air;
causing the collected pathogen to react with a labeled substance;
measuring time from start of reaction;
detecting a quantity of labeled substance that has reacted with the pathogen; and
calculating a gradient value on the basis of a measured predetermined time period from the start of reaction and the detected quantity of labeled substance, and determining, on the basis of the gradient value, a time interval to next collection that is to be performed.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sasaki Yoshiki
• Kawamura Tatsurou
• Yanagawa Hiroto

Classifications

• G01N2333/11

  Orthomyxoviridae, e.g. influenza virus · CPC title

• G01N21/64 Primary

  Fluorescence; Phosphorescence · CPC title

• G01N33/582

  with fluorescent label · CPC title

• G01N2001/388

  mixing the sample with a tracer · CPC title

• G01N21/6408

  with measurement of decay time, time resolved fluorescence · CPC title