Method and an apparatus for determining the number of particles or cells in a liquid sample
US5978435A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 15, 1998 |
| Grant date | Nov 2, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 15, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2015/1486
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for determining the number of particles or cells in a liquid sample. The method comprises a) determining the number of particles or cells in a first volume of the liquid sample, b) determining the statistical uncertainty of the determined number of particles in said first volume, c) if the determined uncertainty is larger than a pre-determined value, determining the number of particles or cells in a further volume of the liquid sample, d) adding the numbers of cells or particles determined in steps a) and c), e) determining the statistical uncertainty of the number of particles determined in step d), f) repeating steps d) and e) with a further volumes of the liquid sample, until the uncertainty determined in step e) is lower than said pre-determined value or until a pre-determined total volume of the liquid sample in which the number of cells or particles has been determined exceeds a pre-determined volume being larger than said first volume. In this way, the volume examined and the uncertainty of the measurement may be selected so that a suitable compromise between the uncertainty and the time required to perform the measurement can be obtained. The apparatu…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.