GB2116704A - Electro-optical apparatus - Google Patents
Electro-optical apparatus Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2116704A GB2116704A GB08234423A GB8234423A GB2116704A GB 2116704 A GB2116704 A GB 2116704A GB 08234423 A GB08234423 A GB 08234423A GB 8234423 A GB8234423 A GB 8234423A GB 2116704 A GB2116704 A GB 2116704A
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- reaction zone
- image
- image sensor
- dark
- cell
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/75—Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/01—Arrangements or apparatus for facilitating the optical investigation
- G01N21/03—Cuvette constructions
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/25—Colour; Spectral properties, i.e. comparison of effect of material on the light at two or more different wavelengths or wavelength bands
- G01N21/251—Colorimeters; Construction thereof
- G01N21/253—Colorimeters; Construction thereof for batch operation, i.e. multisample apparatus
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/17—Systems in which incident light is modified in accordance with the properties of the material investigated
- G01N21/59—Transmissivity
- G01N21/5907—Densitometers
- G01N21/5911—Densitometers of the scanning type
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
- G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
- G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
- G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
- G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
- G01N33/5302—Apparatus specially adapted for immunological test procedures
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
- G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
- G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
- G01N33/5302—Apparatus specially adapted for immunological test procedures
- G01N33/5304—Reaction vessels, e.g. agglutination plates
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
- G01N33/50—Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing
- G01N33/53—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor
- G01N33/543—Immunoassay; Biospecific binding assay; Materials therefor with an insoluble carrier for immobilising immunochemicals
- G01N33/54366—Apparatus specially adapted for solid-phase testing
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
- G01N35/00029—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N35/00—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor
- G01N35/00029—Automatic analysis not limited to methods or materials provided for in any single one of groups G01N1/00 - G01N33/00; Handling materials therefor provided with flat sample substrates, e.g. slides
- G01N2035/00099—Characterised by type of test elements
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N21/00—Investigating or analysing materials by the use of optical means, i.e. using sub-millimetre waves, infrared, visible or ultraviolet light
- G01N21/75—Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated
- G01N21/77—Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated by observing the effect on a chemical indicator
- G01N21/82—Systems in which material is subjected to a chemical reaction, the progress or the result of the reaction being investigated by observing the effect on a chemical indicator producing a precipitate or turbidity
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- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/48—Biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Haemocytometers
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- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Immunology (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Pathology (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Biochemistry (AREA)
- Biomedical Technology (AREA)
- Hematology (AREA)
- Molecular Biology (AREA)
- Urology & Nephrology (AREA)
- Cell Biology (AREA)
- Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
- Food Science & Technology (AREA)
- Microbiology (AREA)
- Biotechnology (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
- Spectroscopy & Molecular Physics (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analysing Materials By Optical Means (AREA)
- Optical Measuring Cells (AREA)
- Investigating Or Analysing Biological Materials (AREA)
Abstract
Apparatus which can be used for the qualitative determination of immunological reactions comprises an image cell having a reaction zone 51, into which a biological fluid specimen and a reagent may be introduced; a light source 93; an image sensor having a photosensitive surface; and imaging lens 95, for focusing light transmitted from the source through the reaction zone onto the image sensor on which dark images appear corresponding to agglutinated particles in the reaction zone; and a threshold comparator which counts only dark image areas greater than a predetermined threshold level. A plurality of such cells may be provided in a carriage assembly, and partially removed one-by-one for sequential imaging. <IMAGE>
Description
SPECIFICATION
Electro-optical apparatus
The present invention relates to electro-optical apparatus. This apparatus can be used, for example, in the method for qualitative determination of immunological reactions described and claimed in
British Patent Application No.7901002 (Serial No.
2040441).
U.S. Patent Specification No. 3,819,271 describes a method and apparatus for the measurement of cell agglutination in a carrier liquid. In the procedure described in this specification, a carrier liquid having cells suspended therein is enclosed in a container which is moved in a circular path, and a beam of light is passed through the suspension. The degree of agglutination of the cells is determined from the amount of light "scattered" by passage through the suspension.
Apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises an image cell having a reaction zone (into which a biological fluid specimen and a reagenttherefor may be introduced); a light source; an image sensor having a photosensitive surface; an imaging lens for focusing light transmit- ted from the source through the reaction zone onto the image sensor (on which dark images appear corresponding to agglutinated particles in the reaction zone); and a threshold comparator which counts only dark image areas greater than a predetermined threshold level.
In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention, apparatus comprises a carriage assembly having side-walls and a plurality of spaced, axiallydisposed compartments between the side-walls; an image cell disposed in each of the compartments, each image cell comprising a translucent reaction zone and an aperture (through which biological fluid and reagent may be introduced); a light source; means for engaging and biasing each image cell partially out its respective compartment, such that light from the source may pass through the reaction zone therein; an image sensor comprising a photosensitive surface; an imaging lens for focusing the light transmitted through each reaction zone onto the image sensor (on which dark images corresponding to agglutinated particles in the reaction zone appear); and means for determining the total dark image area on the surface of the image sensor.
Each image cell may be formed from a pair of complementary translucent bodies having opposed, parallel, planar surfaces which each have a recess which is preferably generally circular, the surfaces being bonded together to form a unitary structure.
The means for partially lifting an image cell from its compartment may be, for example, a caliper member. An imaging lens is employed to focus the light, e.g. from a monochromatic light source, through the reaction zone onto the surface of the image sensor, e.g. a Charge-Coupled Device.
Apparatus of the invention preferably includes means for controlling the temperature of the content of the or each reaction zone. A display screen may be included, operatively associated with the image sensor, for visual display of the content of the or each reaction zone.
For use with the threshold comparator, a digital computer may be provided, together with means for storing the output of the computer and means for printing the computer output.
When each image cell is formed from two translucent bodies, one or both may be transparent. One of the complementary recesses (which together define the reaction zone) may have a protruding member which provides a focus point on the mid-plane of the reaction zone. This member is preferably generally cylindrical. Preferably, the means for determining the total dark image area on the surface of the image sensor is electronic.
The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an image cell which may be used in this invention;
Figure2 is a view taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a carriage assembly for image cells of the type illustrated in
Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a view taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;
Figure 5 is a view taken along the line 5-5 of Figure 4;
Figures 6a, 6b, 6c and 6dare schematic views illustrating the respective positions of the reaction zone in each image cell during rotation about its central axis in order to effect mixing and even distribution of the reactants;
Figure 7 is a sectional view taken along the line 7-7 of Figure 6a, illustrating the toroidal meniscus which is formed in the aperture of the reaction zone during its rotation;;
Figure 8 is a schematic view, partly in elevation, illustrating so much of the apparatus of this invention as is required to show both the vertical displacement of each image cell and the lateral displacement of the carriage assembly when used in accordance with the method of British Patent Application No.
7901002 (Serial No.2040441).
Figure 9 is a view taken along the line 9-9 of Figure 8;
Figures 10 and 11 are schematic representations of the imaging process whereby images of agglutinated indicator particles in the fluid suspension within the reaction zones are formed on an image sensor;
Figure 12 is a front view of the image sensor on which images of agglutinated particles are formed;
Figure 13 is a graphic illustration of the electronic signals corresponding to the agglutinated areas on the image sensor; and
Figure 14 is a functional block diagram of the electro-optical apparatus of this invention.
Figure 1 shows an image cell 1, for carrying out the immunological reactions. This cell is especially designed for use in the electro-optical system of this invention. The image cell 1 comprises two opposed, parallel, planar surfaces 3 and 5 which are suitably bonded together, preferably by ultrasonic means, to form a unitary structure defined by side edges 7 and 9 and by top and bottom edges 11 and 13, respectively. The side edges 7 and 9 may be slightly tapered and side edge 9 is chamfered at its lower end, at 15. Side edges 7 and 9 each include a pair of detents 21 and 23, and 25 and 27. Each of the opposing faces of the two planar surfaces 3 and 5 is provided with a generally circular groove which, when the two surfaces are bonded together, define a reaction zone 51 (in which an immunological reaction can be carried out).The planar surface 3 includes an aperture 53 (for the introduction of reagent and biological fluid into the reaction zone). A focus target 55, e.g. a generally cylindrical member, is moulded on the circular groove on the inner face of the planar surface 5 in the reaction zone 51, in order to allow the optical system to focus on the plane which is half-way in the reaction zone.
The two planar surfaces 3 and 5 may be made of glass or suitable plastics material such as polystyrene. Although both surfaces may be made of transparent material, one may be transparent and the other translucent, in which case the planar surface 3 is made of a translucent material while the planar surface 5 is made of a transparent substance.
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the image cell of Figure 1. Figures 3 and 4 show a carriage assembly 19 defined by front and rear panels or walls 33 and 35, and side panels or walls 37 and 39. A plurality of generally U-shaped partition walls 41 are spaced along the principal axis of the carriage assembly 19, and they are suitably bonded or fixed to the side walls 37 and 39, thereby defining the respective compartments 17 in the carriage assembly. Image cells are shown in position.
The side panel or wall 39 is a partial wall extending slightly over one-half the height of each compartment, and the side panel or wall 37 is conveniently shouldered internaily at its lower end, as at 43, so that when each image cell is fully inserted in its respective compartment, the ear portion 45 formed in the bottom edge 13 of the image cell rests on said shoulder 43. This construction, and engagement of the detents 21,23,25 and 27 with their corresponding protuberances 29 in channels 31, prevent the image cells from dropping through the compartments. The assembly 19 is also provided with lateral flange members 47 and 49 which can be gripped between the fingers, for convenience of handling.
Figure 5 shows the assembly of Figures 3 and 4 in greater detail, in part.
To introduce reagents and biological fluid specimens into the reaction zones, with particular reference to Figures 3 and 4, the side edges 7 and 9 of each image cell are gripped between the fingers and pulled out of its compartment until the notches 21 and 25 engage with their corresponding protuberances in the channels 31. The particular reagent and the biological fluid are sequentially introduced into the reaction zone 51 through the aperture 53, using a pipette or some other suitable means. The image cell is then pushed all the way down in its compartment and the next image cell is filled with reagent and biological fluid as described above. A plurality of reaction zones are thus filled with the reagent and the desired biological fluid to be tested.The reagent and the biological fluid are then mixed and evenly distributed, by slow rotation of the carriage assembly about its axis of rotation. Figures 6a-6d illustrate the respective positions of each image cell during the rotation of the carriage assembly. Egress of the fluid from the reaction zone is prevented by the formation of a so-called "toroidal" meniscus around the aperture 53 (as shown in greater detail in Figure 7) during rotation.
The carriage assembly 19 may be rotated manually, although the apparatus of this invention is designed to facilitate automatic rotation, until the desired degree of mixing and uniformity has been achieved. The speed of rotation of the carriage assembly may vary provided, however, that the surface tension of the liquid meniscus is at no time exceeded by the centripetal force acting on the fluid in each reaction zone. As a practical matter, slow rotation of the carriage assembly for few minutes is adequate to obtain proper mixing and even distribution of the reactants in each reaction zone.
The subsequent imaging process is described in more detail in British Patent Application No.7901002 (Serial No. 2040441).
Figures 8 and 9 show the carriage assembly 19 disposed on a conveyor 57 which is trained over pulleys 59 which are connected to and activated by a motor 61. The conveyor belt 57 has a lug 63 for engagement with protuberances 65 on the carriage assembly as it is sequentially advanced into position after each imaging process. In order to lift each image cell out of its respective compartment and bring it into the optical path, the apparatus may be equipped with a caliper member generally designated as 67 which includes an upper caliper segment 69 and a lower caliper segment 71. The lower caliper segment 71 has an integral vertically-projecting arm 73 adapted to be inserted into each compartment in the carriage assembly, to push each image cell up and out into the optical path.The lower caliper segment 71 has a lateral section 75 which is fixed to a belt 77 which is trained overthe pulleys 79 which are connected to and activated by a motor 83.
The upper and lower caliper segments are attached to a guide rod 81 and are normally fixed to and biased together by means of the spring loaded member 83 which includes spring elements 85 and 87. The upper caliper segment 69 is retained above the image cells by means of a stop member 89 which is installed on the guide rod.
In order to bring each image cell into the optical path, the motor 81 is activated by a switch (not shown), which causes the belt 77 to travel in an upward vertical path. This brings the verticallyprojecting arm 73 of the lower caliper segment into engagement with the lower edge of the image cell and, as the belt continues its travel, forces the image cell up and against the upper caliper segment 69, and partially out of the carriage assembly into the optical path, as illustrated in Figure 9.
After imaging the contents of the reaction-zone the image cell is returned to its original position in its compartment by reversing the direction of travel of the belt 77. Thereafter, the motor 61 is activated, thereby causing movement of the belt 57 in the direction of the arrows in Figure 9. When the lug 63 engages the next protuberance in the carriage assembly corresponding to the next compartment, the motor 61 is automatically shut off and motor 81 is activated to bring the next image cell into the optical path for imaging. This operation is continued for imaging as many image cells as desired.
Figures 10 and 11 show a source of radiant energy such as monochromatic light source 93 from which a beam of monochromatic light impinges upon the image cell to transilluminate the content of the reaction zone. The depth of the reaction zone must be minimal, in order to concentrate a substantial proportion of the indicator particles in the focal plane of the optical system. This plane corresponds with the image plane from which all information is derived.
The light beams emanating from the light source may be collimated and condensed by means of a condensing lens (not shown) and the light transmitted through the reaction zone is passed through an image-forming lens of proper dioptre. The image lens 95 is mounted within a focusing means 97 which is operably connected by a rack and pinion arrangement 99 and 101 for adjusting the focusing lens. The light beams transmitted through the focusing lens 95 impinge upon the surface of an image sensor 103 on which images of the agglutinated indicator particles are formed.
The image sensor 103 is suitably a Charge
Coupled Device, abrreviated in the trade as "C.C.D." and may be of the type described by Gilbert F.
Amalio in an article entitled "Charge-Coupled Device", Scientific American (February 1974), pages 23-33. The C.C.D. comprises a silicon grid which consists of 10,000 photosensor elements arrayed in 100 x 100 rectangular sections or wells, and metal contacts around the borders of the grid for connecting to metal connectors. When light falls on the surface of the silicon grid, the radiation is absorbed and electron charges are removed in a quantity proportional to the amount of incident light.
Opaque indicator particles in the biological field within the reaction zone are transilluminated and imaged on the photosensitive surface of the C.C.D.
The magnification of the optical system is adjusted so that the images of the non-agglutinated particles are smaller in size than the area of each photosensitive element (picture element or pixel). Since the electrical outputs from the photosensitive elements are proportional to the amount of light impinging on the surfaces, and since a non-agglutinated particle image is smaller than one pixel, its electrical output will be less than the electrical output corresponding to a fully shadowed pixel. Accordingly, a threshold rejection criterion can be set up to reject all image areas whose electrical outputs are less than a pre-determined threshold level, such as the nonagglutinated particles, i.e. particles which, even though they are in close proximity to each other, are not in total contact and hence permit the passage of some lighttherethrough.
When several indicator particles agglutinate into a large aggregate or clump, the resulting image will shadow several pixels, as shown in Figure 12 and, due to tight clumping of the agglutinated particles in all three dimensions, they will appear darker than a single particle. After forming images of the agglutinated particles as aforesaid, the C.C.D. is scanned electronically row by row. Any pixel which sees an imaged section which is darker than the threshold level will cause an electrical (voltage) output which is a function of the image density of the agglutinated particles. This is graphically illustrated in Figure 13 which shows the electrical outputs corresponding to the agglutinated particles on the photosensitive surface of the C.C.D. shown in Figure 12.
The electro-optical system of this invention may be conveniently described with reference to the block diagram shown in Figure 14. As shown in this diagram, the image cell 51 is transilluminated by monochromatic light beams emanating from the light source 93. The light beams transmitted through the image cell are focused on the C.C.D. 103 by means of the imaging lens 95. The output from the
C.C.D. follows two paths; a first path 105 for providing averaged data to the intensity feedback control 106 and a second path 107 which provides data for the determination of particle size and their frequency of occurrence.
The second path 107 feeds into a threshold comparator and a particle counter 109 which screens the non-agglutinated particles on the basis of both intensity and particle size. The comparator 109 passes tightly-clumped or agglutinated particles which produce very dark images on the C.C.D. 103 as contrasted to the grey images which result from non-agglutinated particles, and further serves to eliminate counts resulting from out-of-focus particles.
A display cathode ray tube 111 serves to assemble the serial output data from C.C.D. 103 into an image of the reaction field, thus displaying a pictorial illustration of the test sample and a visual feedback for determining the performance of the system.
A temperature control unit 113 monitors and controls the temperature of the image cells' contents at a predetermined optimum level.
The system illustrated in Figure 14 also comprises a digital computer 115 and a control logic 117 for monitoring and controlling the major functions of the instrument and various assemblies. A memory section 119 serves to store the computer output and a print-out section 121 prints the results of the computer.
Claims (14)
1. Apparatus which comprises an image cell having a reaction zone (into which a biological fluid specimen and a reagent may be introduced); a light source; an image sensor having a photosensitive surface; an imaging lensforfocusing light transmitted from the source through the reaction zone onto the image sensor (on which dark images appear corresponding to agglutinated particles in the reaction zone); and a threshold comparator which counts only dark image areas greater than a predetermined threshold level.
2. Apparatus which comprises a carriage assem bly comprising side-walls and a plurality of spaced, axially-disposed compartments between the sidewalls; an image cell disposed in each of the compartments, each image cell comprising a translucent reaction zone therewithin and an aperture (through which biological fluid and reagent may be introduced into the reaction zone); an image sensor and an imaging lens as defined in claim 1; and means for determining the total dark image area on the surface of the image sensor.
3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the engaging and biasing means comprises a caliper.
4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the dark image-determining means is electronic.
5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, which additionally includes a digital computer operating with the threshold comparator, means for storing the output of the computer and means for printing the computer output.
6. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, which additionally includes means for controlling the temperature of the content of the or each reaction zone.
7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, which additionally includes a display screen operatively associated with the image sensor for visual display of the content of the or each reaction zone.
8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each reaction zone is substantially circular.
9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the or each image cell comprises two translucent bodies having complementary, planar surfaces in each of which there is a recess, the two surfaces having been bonded together so that the complementary recesses define the reaction zone.
10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein one body is transparent.
11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein both bodies are transparent.
12. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 9 to 11, wherein a member protrudes from the face of one of the recesses to provide a focus point on the midplane of the reaction zone.
13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the member is generally cylindrical.
14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08234423A GB2116704B (en) | 1977-09-23 | 1982-12-02 | Electro-optical apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US05/835,996 US4197088A (en) | 1977-09-23 | 1977-09-23 | Method for qualitative and quantitative determination of immunological reactions |
| GB08234423A GB2116704B (en) | 1977-09-23 | 1982-12-02 | Electro-optical apparatus |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB2116704A true GB2116704A (en) | 1983-09-28 |
| GB2116704B GB2116704B (en) | 1984-03-21 |
Family
ID=26284567
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB08234423A Expired GB2116704B (en) | 1977-09-23 | 1982-12-02 | Electro-optical apparatus |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2116704B (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2391616A (en) * | 2002-06-04 | 2004-02-11 | Lockheed Corp | Tribological debris analysis system |
| US7307717B2 (en) | 2005-09-16 | 2007-12-11 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Optical flow cell capable of use in high temperature and high pressure environment |
| US7385694B2 (en) | 2002-06-04 | 2008-06-10 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Tribological debris analysis system |
Citations (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1385679A (en) * | 1971-04-17 | 1975-02-26 | Image Analysing Computers Ltd | Density measurement by image analysis |
| GB1497698A (en) * | 1975-01-08 | 1978-01-12 | Rowe W | Particle analyzer with real time analysis capability |
| US4116775A (en) * | 1976-05-03 | 1978-09-26 | Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation | Machine and process for reading cards containing medical specimens |
| GB1601222A (en) * | 1977-02-24 | 1981-10-28 | Schmitt H J | Method and apparatus for measurement of the aggregation rate of red blood corpuscles suspended in blood |
-
1982
- 1982-12-02 GB GB08234423A patent/GB2116704B/en not_active Expired
Patent Citations (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1385679A (en) * | 1971-04-17 | 1975-02-26 | Image Analysing Computers Ltd | Density measurement by image analysis |
| GB1497698A (en) * | 1975-01-08 | 1978-01-12 | Rowe W | Particle analyzer with real time analysis capability |
| US4116775A (en) * | 1976-05-03 | 1978-09-26 | Mcdonnell Douglas Corporation | Machine and process for reading cards containing medical specimens |
| GB1539627A (en) * | 1976-05-03 | 1979-01-31 | Mc Donnell Douglas Corp | Machine and process for reading cards containing medical specimens |
| GB1601222A (en) * | 1977-02-24 | 1981-10-28 | Schmitt H J | Method and apparatus for measurement of the aggregation rate of red blood corpuscles suspended in blood |
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2391616A (en) * | 2002-06-04 | 2004-02-11 | Lockheed Corp | Tribological debris analysis system |
| GB2391616B (en) * | 2002-06-04 | 2005-11-23 | Lockheed Corp | Tribological debris analysis system |
| US7019834B2 (en) | 2002-06-04 | 2006-03-28 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Tribological debris analysis system |
| US7385694B2 (en) | 2002-06-04 | 2008-06-10 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Tribological debris analysis system |
| US7307717B2 (en) | 2005-09-16 | 2007-12-11 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | Optical flow cell capable of use in high temperature and high pressure environment |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB2116704B (en) | 1984-03-21 |
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