Particle fractionation apparatus, particle fractionation method and particle fractionation program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9857286-B2
Application number	US-201415028411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2014
Priority date	Oct 17, 2013
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A particle fractionating apparatus is described that can sort droplets containing particles in a first mode of operation, and distribute droplets that do not contain particles to a plurality of locations in a second mode of operation. The modes of operation are selectable by a user. Droplets may be emitted from a microchip of the particle fractionating apparatus.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A particle fractionating apparatus comprising:
a charging portion configured to apply plural sorting voltages to an electrode that is arranged to contact liquid in a flow path for the liquid;
a particle detection system configured to detect when no particle will be contained in a droplet produced from the liquid; and
a charge controller connected to the charging portion and configured in a first mode to cause the charging portion, in response to signals from the particle detection system, to apply a first sorting voltage to the electrode to charge the liquid so that a first droplet that does not contain a particle will be charged to a first amount and to apply a second sorting voltage to the electrode to charge the liquid so that a second droplet that does not contain a particle will be charged to a second amount different from the first amount.

2. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising deflecting plates configured to support an electric field between the deflecting plates such that charged droplets that do not contain particles will be deflected by the deflecting plates.

3. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising deflecting plates configured to support an electric field between the deflecting plates and wherein the charge controller is further operable in a second mode to cause the charging portion to apply charges to droplets produced from the flow path that contain particles such that the charged droplets that contain particles will be deflected by the deflecting plates.

4. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the particle fractionating apparatus is configured to be manually switched between the first mode and the second mode.

5. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 1 , where the particle detection system comprises a light detector arranged to detect light scattered from the flow path, wherein a signal from the light detector less than a predetermined threshold value indicates the absence of particles.

6. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the charge controller is configured in the first mode of operation to apply the first sorting voltage to the electrode responsive to at least receiving the signal from the particle detection system within a predetermined time interval.

7. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a microchip that includes the flow path and an orifice arranged at an end of the flow path and configured to emit droplets toward the deflecting plates.

8. A method for fractionating particles, the method comprising:
determining, by a particle detection system, an absence of particles in a first droplet produced by the particle fractionating apparatus;
causing, by a charge controller in a first mode of operation, application of a first sorting voltage to an electrode arranged to charge the first droplet such that the first droplet that does not contain particles will be charged to a first amount;
determining, by the particle detection system, an absence of particles in a second droplet produced by the particle fractionating apparatus; and
causing, by the charge controller in the first mode of operation, application of a second sorting voltage to the electrode such that the second droplet that does not contain particles will be charged to a second amount different from the first amount.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
causing, by the charge controller in a second mode of operation, application of voltages to the electrode such that droplets that contain particles will be charged.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising receiving, by the charge controller, a signal from a particle detection system that indicates presence or absence of a particle in a droplet produced by the particle fractionating apparatus.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising providing a signal from a scattered light detector that is arranged to detect scattered light from a flow path that is used to form the droplet.

12. A storage device containing machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a particle fractionating apparatus, cause the particle fractionating apparatus to:
determine, by a particle detection system, an absence of particles in a first droplet produced by the particle fractionating apparatus;
cause, by a charge controller in a first mode of operation, application of a first charge to the first droplet such that the first droplet that does not contain particles will be charged to a first amount;
determine, by the particle detection system, an absence of particles in a second droplet produced by the particle fractionating apparatus; and
cause, by the charge controller in the first mode of operation, application of a second charge to the second droplet such that the second droplet that does not contain particles will be charged to a second amount different from the first amount.

13. The storage device of claim 12 , further comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the particle fractionating apparatus, cause the particle fractionating apparatus to cause, by the charge controller in a second mode of operation, application of charges to droplets produced by the particle fractionating apparatus that contain particles such that the charged droplets that contain particles will be deflected by deflecting plates.

14. The storage device of claim 13 , wherein instructions for determining a presence or absence of particles in droplets depend upon receiving a signal within a predetermined time interval from the particle detection system, wherein the signal indicates the presence or absence of a particle in a flow path from which the droplets are produced.

15. A particle fractionating apparatus comprising:
a scattered light detection system including a light detector and processing electronics configured to detect a signal indicating an amount of light passing through a droplet produced from a liquid in a flow path and determine when no particle will be contained in the droplet based upon comparing the detected signal with a threshold value;
a charging portion configured to apply voltages to an electrode that is arranged to contact the liquid in the flow path;
a charge controller connected to the charging portion and configured to operate in a first mode to cause the charging portion to apply a plurality of different voltages to the electrode responsive to receiving detected signals from the scattered light detection system that indicate no particles will be contained in droplets produced from the liquid;
and deflecting plates, wherein the applied plurality of different voltages are selected to charge the droplets so that they will be deflected to a plurality of predetermined locations by the deflecting plates.

16. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the particle fractionating apparatus is configured to be manually switched between the first mode and a second mode of operation.

17. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the charge controller is configured to cause the charging portion to apply the plurality of different voltages only when the detected signals are received within predetermined time intervals.

18. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 15 , further comprising an orifice arranged at an end of the flow path, wherein the orifice and flow path are disposed on a microfluidic chip.

19. The particle fractionating apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the scattered light det

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Muraki Yosuke
• Fujimaki Atsuo
• Otsuka Fumitaka
• Kato Yasunobu

Classifications

• B03C7/003

  Pretreatment of the solids prior to electrostatic separation · CPC title

• G01N2015/0065

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N15/14 Primary

  Optical investigation techniques, e.g. flow cytometry · CPC title

• G01N2015/149

  Physics · mapped topic

• G01N2015/1081

  Physics · mapped topic