Patent · US Expired

Apparatus for counting numbers of fine particles

US4550417A · kind A · utility

22Cited by
4References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 15, 1982
Grant dateOct 29, 1985
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 15, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01N2015/1486
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An apparatus for counting numbers of microscopic corpuscles such as blood cells, comprising an optical system, a driving mechanism, a photoelectrical convertor means and a counter means. The optical means is adapted to illuminate a sample containing the corpuscles so as to irradiate magnified images onto a charge coupled device (CCD) as the convertor means having elements lined up in a row in an X-direction perpendicular to a Y-direction in which the sample is moved by the driving mechanism whereby X-directional scanning is automatically executed by the CCD without moving the sample while Y-directional scanning is conducted with a sample holder continuously moved by said mechanism comprising a drive motor and a cooperating spring. The CCD is adapted to detect the number of corpuscle images contained in each scanning line in the X-direction and thereby to produce electric signals fed to the counter means, which comprises electronic circuits for summing up these signals in respect of Y-direction.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.