Particle Sorting Device for Accurate Standard Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for accurately dispensing small particles, such as cells or microorganisms, are limited by the inability to control the number of particles in a fluid volume, leading to inefficiencies in sorting and standard production, particularly for high numbers like 1,000 to 1,000,000 particles, which are needed for various applications but cannot be produced on a commercial scale with sufficient accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A method for producing sets of standards with defined numbers of particles from 1,000 to 1,000,000, achieving a degree of error of 10% or less, involving particle sensing, collection, and dispensing using modified flow cytometers to create reproducible standards in liquid, frozen, or solid forms, allowing for precise control and high production rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If droplet deflection sorting is used to sort particles, then sorting speed can reach several thousands times per second, but the device becomes expensive, large, and requires daily alignment by highly skilled operators
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sorting function from the complex flow cytometer system and implements it using simple mechanical means - a motor-driven syringe that physically picks up particles one by one from the fluid stream and deposits them into collection tubes. This eliminates the need for expensive piezoelectric transducers, complex droplet generation systems, and skilled operators for daily alignment, while maintaining high sorting speeds of several thousand particles per second
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the complex electromagnetic and fluid dynamic systems of traditional flow cytometers with a simple mechanical particle pickup system. A motor-driven syringe with a small bore needle physically intercepts and captures particles from the flowing suspension, then mechanically deposits them into collection tubes. This mechanical approach simplifies the device while achieving comparable or superior sorting speeds
2Measurement precision
If conventional pipettes are used to dispense fluid volumes, then volume accuracy can be controlled, but the number of particles in the dispensed volume cannot be controlled or known
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a particle detection system that counts particles in real-time as they pass through the flow stream. This feedback information is used to control the particle pickup process, ensuring that collection tubes receive precisely the desired number of particles. The system monitors and adjusts the sorting process based on actual particle counts rather than relying on volume-based estimates
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts particles from the continuous fluid stream one by one using a motor-driven syringe, rather than dispensing fixed volumes of suspension. This allows direct control over the number of particles transferred to collection tubes, independent of volume measurements. Each particle is individually captured and deposited, enabling precise particle number control
3Manufacturing precision
If flow cytometry is used to sort particles one at a time, then particle number accuracy can be achieved, but production rate is limited and cannot meet commercial scale requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous particle sorting by maintaining a constant flow of particle suspension through the system while the motor-driven syringe continuously picks up and deposits particles. The motor operates without interruption, and the particle stream flows continuously, allowing thousands of particles to be sorted per second without stopping or resetting, thereby achieving both high accuracy and high production rates suitable for commercial scale
4Measurement precision
If particle suspensions are prepared and analyzed by microscopy or culture, then particle number estimation can be obtained, but the exact number of particles remains unknown and error margins are large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a particle detection system that provides real-time feedback on the exact number of particles being sorted. This direct counting method eliminates the need for indirect estimation through microscopy or culture methods. The system knows with certainty how many particles are in each collection tube because it counted them during the sorting process, achieving manufacturing precision without large error margins
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 the production of accurate and reproducible standards across multiple batches, overcoming the limitations of existing technologies by achieving precise particle control and increased production rates, making high-standard particle sets viable for commercial use.
Implementation Method 1
An alternating electrical current is passed across the transducer causing the flow cell to vibrate up and down at the same frequency as the current
Implementation Method 2
Further downstream from the flow cell the stream of droplets passes between two plates, one positively and one negatively charged. As the charged droplet passes between the plates it is diverted from the main stream of droplets
Data Source
AI summary
A set of 10 or more standards containing a defined number of particles from 1000 to 1,000,000 wherein the defined number of particles is within a degree of error of 10% or less between each standard of the set.