Microscope Injector Using Segmented Liquid Jets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microscope systems are unsuitable for fast volumetric imaging of sensitive, three-dimensional samples like organoids or organisms due to turbulence caused by injection, leading to sample movement and difficulty in real-time observation and image capture.
Innovation Solution
A microscope system with a sample carrier and imaging system that injects a liquid in multiple successive, temporally spaced jets, reducing turbulence and allowing for real-time observation and three-dimensional imaging without the need for immediate sample repositioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single large jet of liquid is injected into the sample carrier, then the injection is completed quickly, but turbulence is generated causing sample movement and making real-time imaging difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The injection process is divided into multiple smaller jets instead of a single large jet. The system injects a sequence of temporally spaced jets, where each jet delivers a predetermined portion of the total liquid amount. This segmentation reduces turbulence and sample movement while maintaining efficient delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection is performed as periodic pulses rather than continuous flow. By spacing the jets temporally, the system allows turbulence to dissipate between injections, reducing cumulative disturbance to the sample while completing the injection process efficiently.
2Measurement precision
If real-time position correction is implemented, then sample position can be maintained during injection, but the system becomes highly costly and complex requiring fast image evaluation and feedback control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the position correction requirement from the injection process itself. By using multiple temporally spaced jets, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time feedback control, as the injection method inherently minimizes sample movement without requiring active correction systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection system serves its own position control needs through the design of the injection pattern itself. The multiple spaced jets create minimal turbulence without requiring external position monitoring or correction mechanisms, making the system self-sufficient in maintaining sample position.
3Loss of time
If subsequent position correction is performed, then samples can be imaged after injection, but samples may move or rotate making allocation difficult and preventing immediate response measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary stabilization by using multiple temporally spaced jets that minimize turbulence from the start. This preliminary action prevents sample movement before imaging begins, eliminating the need for subsequent position correction and enabling immediate observation without time delays or allocation errors.
Data Source
AI summary
A microscope system includes a microscope stage having a top surface configured to have a sample carrier arranged thereon, the sample carrier being configured to receive at least one sample. The microscope system also includes an imaging system configured to image the at least one sample. The microscope system also includes an injector configured to inject a predetermined amount of a liquid into the sample carrier by injecting multiple successive and temporally spaced jets of the liquid into the sample carrier, each jet including a predetermined portion of the amount of liquid.