Bacteria Analyzer Scattergram Classification

The patent replaces the manual mechanical agar culture method with an automated flow cytometer-based optical measurement system. The flow cytometer uses light scattering and fluorescence detection to automatically identify and classify bacteria, eliminating the need for manual plating, culturing, and microscopic examination. This substitution dramatically reduces processing time while maintaining detection accuracy.

The patent performs preliminary staining of bacteria with fluorescent dyes before measurement, which allows for immediate differentiation of bacterial forms upon optical detection. The staining process is integrated into the sample preparation workflow, so that when samples are introduced to the flow cytometer, the bacteria are already marked with fluorescent labels that enable rapid classification without requiring separate identification steps.

The patent divides the scattergram into multiple predetermined regions corresponding to different bacterial forms (rods, cocci, chains, clusters). Instead of using a single tilt calculation for the entire scattergram, the system segments the data space and counts bacteria in each region separately. This segmentation allows for accurate classification of mixed bacterial populations by identifying which regions contain bacteria and what proportions they represent.

The patent transitions from a single-dimensional tilt calculation approach to a multi-dimensional regional analysis approach. By introducing the concept of dividing the scattergram into multiple spatial regions and analyzing bacterial distribution across these regions, the system gains the ability to distinguish between different bacterial forms that would otherwise overlap in a single tilt value. This dimensional expansion of the analysis space enables precise classification of complex bacterial mixtures.