United States Patent
US Patent 6421121: Method and apparatus for rapid particle…
US 6421121 · granted 2002-07-16
| Patent Number | 6421121 |
|---|---|
| Title | Method and apparatus for rapid particle identification utilizing scattered light histograms |
| Filed | 2000-02-10 |
| Granted | 2002-07-16 |
| Inventor(s) | David L. Haavig, Gary Lorden |
| Assignee | Micro Imaging Technology Inc |
| CPC Classification | G01N15/0205, G01N15/02, G01N15/0211 |
| Number of Claims | 2 |
Abstract
Unique methods and apparatus are provided for rapidly identifying microscopic particles, such as protozoa and other microbes suspended in a fluid or gas. In one embodied form, the method comprises illuminating the particles to be detected with an intense light source such as a laser, detecting scattered light by means of an array of optical sensors surrounding a detection zone, converting the detected light to an electrical signal, and comparing the derived signal with at least one frequency-of-occurrence/probability histogram curve to qualitatively and/or quantitatively identify the microscopic particles present.
Claims Summary
1. A method for rapidly detecting and identifying microscopic particles for quantitative and qualitative measurement comprising the steps of: