Transparent Well Liquid Detection Using Reflective Pattern
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to accurately detect the presence of transparent or translucent liquids with low reflectance in sample wells, leading to potential errors in biological assays due to the inability to distinguish between the liquid and the well material, especially when the liquid is opaque or causes interference with reflectance.
Innovation Solution
A detection method utilizing a system with a control unit, imager, and pattern recognition algorithm that acquires images of a pattern overlapped by the liquid, performs scans to determine coincidence and line similarity descriptors, and calculates a visible pattern likelihood index to assess liquid presence, allowing for precise detection without physical contact and minimizing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If light reflection analysis is used to detect sample presence, then the detection method is simple and quick, but transparent or translucent liquids with low reflectance cannot be detected accurately
Solution Approach 1:
A reflective element is introduced as an intermediary component placed at the bottom of the well. This element provides a consistent high-reflectance reference surface that interacts with the liquid sample, enabling detection through changes in light reflection patterns caused by the liquid's presence rather than relying on the liquid's own reflectance properties
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates an optical copy or image of the well contents using an imager instead of relying on light reflection intensity measurements. This allows direct visualization and analysis of the liquid presence and pattern characteristics, providing accurate detection of transparent or translucent liquids that would be invisible to reflection-based methods
2Adaptability or versatility
If the well is made of transparent plastic to allow optical access, then the well material is compatible with optical detection, but the presence detection becomes complicated with interference of reflectance
Solution Approach 1:
The reflective element serves as a mediator that creates a controlled optical interface between the transparent well and the detection system. It provides a known reference pattern that simplifies the optical model, reducing the complexity of interpreting light interaction with the transparent well structure
Solution Approach 2:
The system detects changes in optical properties (effectively 'color' or reflectance characteristics) of the well bottom area. The reflective element provides a distinct optical signature that changes when liquid is present, creating a detectable contrast that simplifies pattern recognition algorithms
3Ease of operation
If manual sample introduction is used, then the operation is simple and flexible, but errors occur when sample is omitted or insufficient and cannot be detected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of sample presence and sufficiency before the main analysis begins. The imager captures an image of the well bottom with the reflective element, and the control unit analyzes this image to verify that adequate liquid has been added, providing feedback before the assay proceeds
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides immediate feedback about sample presence and quality through image analysis. The control unit processes the captured image to determine whether the liquid level is sufficient and generates appropriate signals or alerts, creating a closed-loop verification system that prevents erroneous analysis
Data Source
AI summary
Detection method for sample presence and device associated The invention relates to a detection method of liquid presence inside a well of a transparent or translucent support intended for analysis performed in a device for in vitro detection and/or quantification, the presence of liquid being assessed on the basis of an index of visible pattern likelihood representative of the probability of a pattern to be legible as expected in the field of view of an imager. Said invention allows preventing assay execution without sample and can be applied without wasting sample or sample well support in case of the sample well is not filled by the user. Moreover, this method allows a precise detection of the samples that are transparent or translucent, with low reflectance.