Measurement apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549093-B2
Application number	US-201816621793-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2018
Priority date	Jun 22, 2017
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

A measurement apparatus according to an embodiment of the present technology includes a light source, a filling portion, and a detector. The light source emits illumination light. The filling portion includes a first surface portion and a second surface portion which are provided on an optical path of the illumination light and are opposite to each other, the filling portion enabling a cavity between the first and second surface portions to be filled with liquid including a cell. The detector detects an interference fringe of the illumination light passing through the cavity, the interference fringe being caused by the liquid including the cell.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A measurement apparatus, comprising:
a light source configured to emit illumination light;
a filling portion including:
a first surface portion and a second surface portion which are provided on an optical path of the illumination light and are opposite to each other, the filling portion enabling a cavity between the first surface portion and the second surface portion to be filled with liquid including one or more cells, wherein the filling portion has:
a width from the first surface portion to the second surface portion of the cavity which is set in a manner that depends on a size of a cell of the one or more cells, and
a detection space, which is an inner space of the cavity through which the illumination light passes; and

a detector including a detection surface that is approximately perpendicular to the optical path of the illumination light, wherein the width of the cavity is set such that a total sum of cross-sectional areas of the one or more cells included in the detection space is smaller than an area of the detection surface, and wherein the detector is configured to detect an interference fringe of the illumination light that passes through the cavity, the interference fringe being caused by the liquid including the one or more cells.

2. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the manner in which the width of the filling portion is set further depends on a concentration of the one or more cells in the liquid.

3. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a bottom surface of the detection space has a same shape as the detection surface.

4. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the width of the cavity is set such that an area of a region in which the one or more cells are packed, in a case where the one or more cells included in the detection space are two-dimensionally close-packed, is smaller than the area of the detection surface.

5. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the illumination light is approximately coherent light or partially-coherent light.

6. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first surface portion includes a first optical window that the illumination light emitted from the light source enters, and
the second surface portion includes a second optical window which is arranged approximately parallel to the first optical window and emits the illumination light passing through the filling portion.

7. The measurement apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein
the first optical window is an optical filter that is configured to permit some wavelength components of the illumination light to pass therethrough.

8. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a collimator which is arranged between the light source and the filling portion and is configured to collimate the illumination light.

9. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the detector is further configured to generate image data in which the interference fringe of the illumination light is recorded.

10. The measurement apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein
the light source is further configured to switch between light beams having wavelengths different from each other to emit the illumination light, and
the detector is further configured to generate a plurality of pieces of the image data respectively corresponding to the light beams having the wavelengths different from each other.

11. The measurement apparatus according to claim 10 , further comprising:
a color-information calculation unit that is configured to calculate color information of the liquid including the one or more cells on a basis of the plurality of pieces of the image data.

12. The measurement apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the color-information calculation unit calculates a pH value of a liquid culture medium included in the liquid, based on the plurality of pieces of the image data.

13. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the measurement apparatus is immerged in the liquid including the one or more cells such that the cavity gets filled with the liquid.

14. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the manner in which the width of the filling portion is set further depends on coherence of the illumination light.

15. The measurement apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the detection space is a columnar space such that the width of the cavity is a height of the detection space.

16. The measurement apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the color-information calculation unit is further configured to calculate a mean luminance value for each of the plurality of pieces of the image data corresponding to the light beams having the wavelengths different from each other, and
the calculation of the color information of the liquid is based on the mean luminance value for each of the plurality of pieces of the image data.

17. A measurement apparatus, comprising:
a casing that includes a base portion, a first protrusion portion, and a second protrusion portion, wherein the first protrusion portion and the second protrusion portion protrude from the base portion in a same direction and are spaced apart by a predetermined distance, and wherein:
a cavity is formed between the first protrusion portion and the second protrusion portion, and has a width equivalent to the predetermined distance,
the cavity is enabled to be filled with liquid that includes one or more cells, and
the predetermined distance is set based on a size of a cell of the one or more cells;

a light source arranged in the first protrusion portion and configured to emit illumination light; and
a detector arranged inside the second protrusion portion and configured to detect an interference fringe of the illumination light that passes through the cavity, the interference fringe being caused by the liquid including the one or more cells.

18. A measurement apparatus, comprising:
a light source configured to emit illumination light;
a filling portion including:
a first surface portion and a second surface portion which are provided on an optical path of the illumination light and are opposite to each other, the filling portion enabling a cavity between the first surface portion and the second surface portion to be filled with liquid including one or more cells, wherein the filling portion has:
a width from the first surface portion to the second surface portion of the cavity which is set in a manner that depends on a size of a cell of the one or more cells, and
a detection space, which is an inner space of the cavity through which the illumination light passes; and

a detector including a detection surface that has a same shape as a bottom surface of the detection space and that is approximately perpendicular to the optical path of the illumination light, wherein the detector is configured to detect an interference fringe of the illumination light that passes through the cavity, the interference fringe being caused by the liquid including the one or more cells.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Tatsuta Hirokazu
• Kunihiro Takeshi
• Nakagawa Kazuhiro

Classifications

• G01N15/1434

  Optical arrangements · CPC title

• G01N21/47

  Scattering, i.e. diffuse reflection (G01N21/25, G01N21/41 take precedence {G01N21/55 takes precedence}) · CPC title

• C12M41/06 Primary

  of illumination · CPC title

• G01N21/17

  Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated (where the material investigated is optically excited causing a change in wavelength of the incident light G01N21/63) · CPC title

• G01N2015/1452

  Adjustment of focus; Alignment · CPC title