Microparticle Sorting Device Self-Calibration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microparticle sorting devices require manual adjustment, leading to variable accuracy, and the use of adjustment beads is not feasible for certain applications like cellular therapy due to the risk of foreign matter contamination.
Innovation Solution
A microparticle sorting device with a light detection unit, droplet forming unit, and device adjustment unit that performs optical axis position calibration and delay time calibration based on detected microparticle information, allowing for accurate adjustment without adjustment beads, including features like optical axis position display, droplet detection, and droplet direction control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual adjustment is performed by operators, then the device can be adjusted, but the adjustment accuracy varies depending on operator experience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic adjustment using the microparticles themselves as calibration references. The adjustment unit automatically determines optimal detection conditions by analyzing signals from microparticles flowing through the flow path, eliminating the need for manual operator intervention and experience-dependent adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The microparticles serve as an intermediary medium for calibration. Instead of using separate adjustment beads that may contaminate samples, the system uses the actual microparticles to be measured as the reference standard for automatic adjustment, ensuring both accuracy and sample purity.
2Reliability
If adjustment beads are used for device adjustment, then the adjustment process can be standardized, but there is a risk of foreign matter contamination in the sample
Solution Approach 1:
The microparticles themselves serve as the calibration intermediary, replacing traditional adjustment beads. This eliminates the risk of foreign matter contamination while maintaining standardized adjustment procedures through automatic signal analysis and comparison.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the microparticle sample to calibrate and adjust itself. The adjustment unit analyzes signals from the flowing microparticles and automatically optimizes detection parameters, making the sample self-calibrating and eliminating contamination from external adjustment beads.
3Device complexity
If fully manual adjustment is performed, then no automatic calibration is needed, but the accuracy varies depending on user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment unit automatically performs calibration by analyzing microparticle signals and determining optimal detection conditions without user intervention. This automated self-adjustment process eliminates experience-dependent variability while maintaining system simplicity through integrated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements automatic feedback control where the adjustment unit continuously monitors microparticle detection signals and adjusts detection parameters based on the analyzed results. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures consistent high accuracy without requiring complex manual adjustment procedures.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables highly accurate device adjustment for microparticle sorting without the need for adjustment beads, reducing the risk of foreign matter contamination and improving sorting precision.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating the microparticles with laser light or the like, and detecting fluorescence or scattered light emitted from each microparticle
Implementation Method 2
detecting fluorescence or scattered light emitted from each microparticle
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided technology that enables a microparticle sorting device to be adjusted highly accurately without using adjustment beads. The present technology provides a microparticle sorting device including a light detection unit that optically detects a microparticle flowing through a flow path, a droplet forming unit that forms a droplet containing the microparticle, and a device adjustment unit that adjusts the device, in which, in a process of adjusting the device before actual measurement of the microparticle, the device adjustment unit performs optical axis position calibration for calibrating a relative position of the flow path relative to irradiation light and delay time calibration for calibrating a delay time from light irradiation to the microparticle to formation of the droplet on the basis of information obtained from the microparticle to be measured.