Deep-Sea Microbe Enrichment With Pressure-Driven Purification

The patent changes physical parameters by introducing a purification piston that applies mechanical pressure to the sample, forcing impurities through a filtration membrane. This pressure-driven separation mechanism overcomes the limitation of conventional low-pressure methods under high-pressure environmental conditions, achieving effective purification by utilizing pressure differential to separate microbial cells from environmental impurities.

The patent replaces conventional mechanical separation methods (washing, oscillation, centrifugation) with a piston-driven filtration system. The purification piston mechanically pushes the sample through a filtration membrane, providing a more effective separation mechanism that works reliably under high-pressure conditions where conventional methods fail to distinguish between microbial cells and environmental impurities.

The patent replaces manual sampling and gene sequencing analysis with an automated imaging system. The imaging system captures images of microbial cells in the culture chamber, and image analysis software automatically quantifies microbial abundance. This substitution eliminates the need for repeated manual sampling and sequencing operations, significantly reducing operational complexity while maintaining quantitative measurement capability and improving timeliness.

The patent creates a visual copy (image) of the microbial sample instead of physically sampling and sequencing it repeatedly. The imaging system captures optical images of the microbial cells, providing a permanent record that can be analyzed quantitatively without disturbing the sample. This copying approach allows repeated measurement without repeated physical intervention, reducing operational complexity and improving measurement timeliness.

The patent implements self-service automation where the system performs enrichment and observation operations autonomously. The culture chamber maintains controlled conditions automatically, the imaging system captures images at predetermined intervals without manual intervention, and the system monitors environmental parameters autonomously. This self-service capability maintains operational flexibility through programmable control while dramatically improving productivity by eliminating time-consuming manual operations.

The patent enables continuous operation of the enrichment and observation process. The imaging system can capture images continuously or at predetermined intervals without interrupting the enrichment process, and the system can operate 24/7 without manual intervention. This continuity of useful action improves productivity by eliminating downtime associated with manual sampling and analysis, while flexibility is maintained through programmable control of imaging frequency and environmental conditions.

The patent uses imaging to create a copy (image) of the microbial sample for analysis. Instead of directly counting cells through the observation window where cells are densely packed and overlapping, the imaging system captures images that can be processed to identify and count individual cells. This copying approach allows real-time observation while improving measurement precision by enabling accurate cell counting from the captured images even when cells appear overlapping in the original sample.

The patent replaces direct visual observation and manual cell counting with an automated imaging and image analysis system. The imaging system captures digital images of the microbial cells, and software algorithms automatically identify, separate, and count cells based on their optical characteristics. This substitution maintains real-time observation capability while dramatically improving cell counting accuracy by eliminating the limitations of direct visual counting in dense microbial populations.