Sony patents particle sorter using multiple lights to measure speed
Sony has been granted a patent for a machine that sorts tiny particles by shining light on them as they move through a liquid. The device uses multiple light sources spaced apart to accurately measure how fast a particle is moving, which helps the system decide how to separate it from others.
In the filing’s own words
A technology capable of stably detecting a particle velocity with high accuracy is provided. Provided is a particle sorting apparatus or the like including: an irradiation unit that includes a plurality of light sources and irradiates a particle contained in a fluid with light from the plurality of light sources; a detection unit that includes a plurality of pixels configured to detect, as an event, a luminance change in the light emitted from the particle due to irradiation of the light from each of the light sources; and a sorting control unit that controls sorting of the particle on the basis of event data detected by the detection unit.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A particle sorting apparatus comprising: an irradiation unit that includes a plurality of light sources and irradiates a particle contained in a fluid with light from the plurality of light sources wherein, in a case where the plurality of light sources is made up of three or more light sources, an event is detected by irradiation with light based on two light sources farthest from each other in a flow direction of the fluid, a distance between the two light sources defined as a detection position interval, wherein the detection position interval is 400 μm or more in order to prevent the light sources from interfering with each other; a controller configured to: select a first light source and a second light source of the plurality of light sources for irradiating the particle such that the first light source and the second light source have the shortest and second shortest, respectively, excitation wavelengths of the plurality of light sources; and control the irradiation unit to irradiate the particle with light from the first light source and the second light source of the plurality of light sources; a detection unit that includes a plurality of pixels configured to detect, as an event, a luminance change in the light emitted from the particle due to irradiation of the light from each of the light sources; and a sorting control unit that controls sorting of the particle on a basis of event data detected by the detection unit.
Facts
- Company
- Sony (Sony Group Corporation)
- Official title
- Particle sorting apparatus and particle sorting method
- Patent number
- US12730058B2
- Application number
- 18578428
- Filed
- Feb 8, 2022
- Granted
- Sep 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 1
- Claims
- 12
Classified under
G01N 15/1492 Physics & computingG01N 15/1429 Physics & computingG01N 15/1434 Physics & computingMore from Sony in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.