SYSTEM FOR IMAGING ANDMONITORING FLUIDS

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns a system for imaging and monitoring fluids to identify the presence of objects therein. Objects that are being identified by the system include, for example, microorganisms, particles, bacteria, cells, foreign substances (e.g. bubbles of air in a liquid, substance that may change visual parameters of the main liquid such as color and transparency), etc. Identification of the objects by the system is then may be followed by analysis to conclude the status of the system (e.g. identifying contamination, impurities, etc.)

Claims

1-42. (canceled)

43. A device comprising a flow channel comprising a first portion, an imaging portion downstream thereto and a second portion downstream said imaging portion; wherein said first portion is linked by a lead sloping segment to said imaging portion at a first slope angle and said second portion is linked by a drain sloping segment to said imaging portion at a second slope angle; wherein said imaging portion is dimensioned with respect to flow of a liquid therethrough such that the flow of the liquid therethrough is laminar; and an imaging unit positioned in view of said imaging portion to capture images of the liquid flowing therethrough.

44. The device according to claim 43, further comprising a filtration unit upstream of said flow channel, said filtration unit comprising a filter in which said liquid is directed to flow in a turbulent manner over a surface of said filter.

45. The device according to claim 44, wherein said filtration unit comprises a liquid inlet for directing the liquid via an opening at a first wall towards a second wall so the liquid is deflected thereby towards said filter in the turbulent manner over the surface of said filter.

46. The device according to claim 44, wherein a portion of the liquid passes through said filter to an outlet chamber and egresses said filtration unit via a filter liquid outlet.

47. The device according to claim 44, wherein a portion of the liquid that is blocked by said filter discharges via a discharge outlet.

48. The device according to claim 43, wherein one or both of said first and second slope angles is constant.

49. The device according to claim 43, wherein one or both of said first and second slope angles is gradually increasing or gradually decreasing.

50. The device according to claim 43, wherein said first and second slope angles are identical.

51. The device according to claim 43, wherein said first and second slope angles are different from each other.

52. The device according to claim 43, further comprising a light unit configured to illuminate said imaging portion, an image sensor configured to detect illumination response from said imaging portion to obtain imaging data, and a control unit in communication with said light unit and said image sensor, the control unit being configured to synchronize between said light unit and said image sensor such that detection of the illumination response is carried out when illumination is performed by said light unit during an illumination time period.

53. The device according to claim 52, wherein the illumination time period is in a range of 0.1 to 20 μ sec.

54. The device according to claim 52, wherein said light unit is activated by a current at least 5-fold its current rating.

55. A device comprising a flow channel comprising a first portion, an imaging portion downstream thereto and a second portion downstream said imaging portion; wherein said first portion is linked by a lead sloping segment to said imaging portion at a first slope angle and said second portion is linked by a drain sloping segment to said imaging portion at a second slope angle; wherein said imaging portion is dimensioned with respect to flow of a liquid therethrough such that the flow of the liquid therethrough is laminar; an imaging unit positioned in view of said imaging portion to capture images of the liquid flowing therethrough; and a bypass channel linking between said first portion and said second portion, such that a portion of the liquid flows through said bypass channel and another portion of the liquid flows through said imaging portion.

56. The device according to claim 55, wherein one or both of said first and second slope angles is constant.

57. The device according to claim 55, wherein one or both of said first and second slope angles is gradually increasing or gradually decreasing.

58. The device according to claim 55, wherein said first and second slope angles are identical.

59. The device according to claim 55, wherein said first and second slope angles are different from each other.

60. The device according to claim 55, further comprising a light unit configured to illuminate said imaging portion, an image sensor configured to detect illumination response from said imaging portion to obtain imaging data, and a control unit in communication with said light unit and said image sensor, the control unit being configured to synchronize between said light unit and said image sensor such that detection of the illumination response is carried out when illumination is performed by said light unit during an illumination time period.

61. The device according to claim 60, wherein the illumination time period is in a range of 0.1 to 20 μ sec.

62. The device according to claim 60, wherein said light unit is activated by a current at least 5-fold its current rating.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0043] FIGS. 1A-1D are schematic illustrations of cross-sectional views of examples of the flow channel according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0044] FIGS. 2A-2C are schematic illustrations of a slide having a plurality of flow channels according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2A shows a top view of the slide; FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of a top portion of the slide; and FIG. 2C shows a perspective view of a bottom portion of the slide.

[0045] FIGS. 3A-3B are schematic illustrations of a filtration unit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A shows a longitudinal cross-section of the filtration unit; and FIG. 3B shows a side view of the filtration unit.

[0046] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an imaging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system for monitoring liquid according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0048] FIG. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example of the flow channel according to one embodiment thereof. The flow channel 102 has a first portion 104, defined between lines L1 and L2, and a second portion 106, defined between lines L3 and L4. The second portion 106 is disposed downstream to the first portion 104. An imaging portion 108 is disposed between the first portion 104 and the second portion 106, namely between lines L2 and L3, such that a flow path FP is defined by the first portion 104, the imaging portion 108 and the second portion 106.

[0049] The imaging portion 108 has a planar imaging portion 109 on which the imaging of the liquid is carried out by an imaging unit (not shown) disposed external to the channel 102. The imaging portion 108 is linked to the first portion 104 by a lead sloping segment 110 at one side, and to the second portion 106 by a drain sloping segment 112 at its other side. In this example, the lead sloping segment 110 has a constant slope angle a with respect to the plane P defined by the planar imaging portion 109. The drain sloping segment 106 has a constant slope angle β which can be similar to or different than that of the slope angle of the lead sloping segment 110.

[0050] FIGS. 1B and 1C are schematic cross-sectional views of additional examples of the sloping segments with a varying slope angle. FIG. 1B shows an embodiment of the flow channel in which the slope angle of the lead sloping segment 110 gradually decreases along the flow path in the direction from the first portion 104 toward the imaging portion 108, namely the downstream direction. The slope angle of the drain sloping segment 112 increases in the downstream direction from the imaging portion 108 toward the second portion 106.

[0051] FIG. 1C shows an embodiment of the flow channel in which each of the lead sloping segment 104 and the drain sloping segment 106 has two sub-sloping segments 111, 113 and, 115, 117, respectively. Each of the sub-sloping segments has a different angle with respect to the plane P defined by the planar imaging portion 109, sub-sloping segments 111 and 113 having angles α.sub.1, α.sub.2, respectively and sub-sloping segments 115 and 117 having angles β.sub.1, β.sub.2, respectively.

[0052] As can be appreciated in FIGS. 1A-1C the thickness of the flow channel varies along the flow path, the first and the second portions 104 and 106 has a relatively wide thickness D.sub.1, and the thickness of the imaging portion 108 decreases to a minimum thickness of D.sub.2 in the planar imaging portion 109. The relatively low thickness D.sub.2 of the flow channel 102 at the planar imaging portion 109 sets suitable conditions for imaging flowing liquid in the channel 102 by an imaging unit disposed at the exterior of the channel 102. To permit such an imaging, at least one of the walls 114 and 116 of the imaging portion 108 is transparent or optically clear, e.g. made of glass.

[0053] In case the walls of the imaging portion 108 are entirely transparent, an imaging device can be placed at one side of the imaging portion 108 and a light unit at the other side.

[0054] FIG. 1D is a schematic illustration of a cross-sectional view of an example of the flow channel of the present disclosure. In this example, the imaging portion 108, defined between lines L2 and L3, is slanted with respect to the walls 119A, 119B and 121A, 121B of the first and second portions, respectively, in an angle γ. Since the two walls defining the imaging portion parallel to one another, the thickness along the imaging portion D2 remains equal.

[0055] In the figures throughout the application, like elements of different figures were given similar reference numerals shifted by the number of hundreds corresponding to the number of the figures. For example, element 202 in FIGS. 2A-2C serves the same function as element 102 in FIGS. 1A-1D.

[0056] FIGS. 2A-2C show different views of a slide 218 comprising a plurality of flow channels, four in this specific example 202A-202D, numbered 1-4 respectively. As can best be seen in FIG. 2A, which is a schematic illustration of a top view of the slide 218, channels 1-3 202A-202C are configured with a bypass channel 220A-220C linking between the first portion of each channel 1-3 204A-204C and the second portion thereof 206A-206C respectively. The bypass channel 220A-220C permits some of the liquid in the channel to flow therethrough, while the other portion of the liquid flows through the imaging portion 208A-208C respectively. Channel 4 202D has a straight flow path with no bypass channel.

[0057] FIGS. 2B and 2C are perspective views of schematic illustrations of top and bottom portions of slide 218, respectively. As can be seen in FIG. 2C each of the channels 1-4 202A-202D is linked to an inlet port 222A-222D and an outlet port 224A-224D. The inlet ports 222A-222D are linked to the first portions 204A-204D, and the outlet ports 224A-224D are linked to the second portions 206A-206D.

[0058] As exemplified in FIGS. 2A-2C, the slide may comprise a plurality of channels, each may have a different configuration so as to permit simultaneous imaging of liquid for different types of applications. The channels may all be linked to a single source and perform different types of analysis. In another example, each of the channels may be linked to a different type of liquid source and perform a similar analysis.

[0059] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a filtration unit for filtering particles from a liquid. FIG. 3A is a longitudinal cross-section of a schematic illustration of an example of a filtration unit according to the present disclosure. Filtration unit 350 has an inlet chamber 352 linked to a source liquid inlet 354 for permitting ingress of liquid to be filtered into the chamber 352 through an opening (not shown). The liquid is configured to ingress the chamber 352 via an opening 357 at the first wall 356, in a general direction as indicated by arrow Y, toward a second wall of the chamber 358. The second wall is inclined with an acute angle a with respect to a plane defined by a planar filter member 360 that separates the inlet chamber 352 and an outlet chamber 362. Turning to FIG. 3B, which is a schematic illustration of a side view of an example of the filtration unit of the present disclosure, the inlet chamber 352 is linked with a discharge outlet 364 for discharging liquid and particles that do not pass through the filter member 360, namely blocked thereby.

[0060] Filter liquid outlet 366 is linked to outlet chamber 362 for allowing egress of the filtered liquid from the filtration unit for further use, e.g. imaging of the liquid.

[0061] Thus, an example of a flow path of liquid through the filtration unit may initiate by egressing through source liquid inlet 354 via an opening 357 at the first wall 356 towards the second wall 358 and being deflected thereby towards the filter member 360. The deflection of the liquid by second wall 358 causes the liquid to flow in a turbulent manner over the surface of filter member 360. A portion of the liquid passes through the filter member 360 and reaches outlet chamber 362 and egress filtration unit 350 via filter liquid outlet 366. The portion of the liquid that is blocked by filter member 360 discharges via discharge outlet 364.

[0062] The turbulent flow occurs over the surface of filter member 360 has a dual function: (i) allowing portion of the liquid to pass through filter member 360; and (ii) applying sufficient hydraulic pressure to remove particles that accumulate on the surface of filter member 360, e.g. particles that were blocked thereby, so as to prevent or delay the clogging of the filter member 360.

[0063] In the specific example, as shown in FIG. 3A, inlet chamber 354 has a general right-triangular cross-section such that the first wall 356 and filter member 360 are the legs and second wall 358 is the hypotenuse of the right triangle.

[0064] The filter member 360 can have a general round shape and accordingly the front of the filtration unit 350 has a round shape as can be appreciated in FIG. 3B.

[0065] Filtered liquid egressing via filter liquid outlet 366 may flow downstream to a flow channel to undergo imaging and monitoring therein. For example, the liquid can flow to any of the exemplified channels in FIGS. 1-2. The liquid flows along the flow path of the channel, at least a portion thereof flows through the imaging portion and being imaged while passing therethrough by an imaging unit. The imaging portion is typically characterized by a laminar flow to permit a repetitive and accurate analysis of the liquid (e.g. identifying contaminating particles, microorganism, etc.).

[0066] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an imaging system according to an aspect of the present disclosure. In this specific example, the imaging portion 408 is comprised within a flow channel 402 and may be included as an integral part of the imaging system 470. However, the imaging system 470 can be independent of the flow channel and the imaging portion 408. In other words, the imaging portion 408 may be a component that is not included or integrated into the imaging system 470. The flow channel is formed with at least one transparent wall 425 to permit imaging of the fluid flows therein. The imaging is performed by an imaging unit 472 that includes a light unit 474, having at least one LED source 475, to illuminate the fluid at the imaging portion 408, and an image sensor such as a camera 476 to sense illumination response of the light illuminating the fluid by the light unit 474. In other words, image sensor 476 senses the transmission of the light through the fluid and/or the reflection of the incident light from the fluid.

[0067] A control unit 478 is configured to synchronize between the light unit 474 and camera 476 such that the detection of illumination response is carried out when illumination is performed by the light unit 474. Thus, the control unit 478 sends operational illuminating signals OIS to operate the light unit 474 at predetermined time slots and operational detecting signals ODS to operate the camera 476 in synchronization with the light unit 474. The time slots of the illumination are typically less than 100 μsec, and at times the duration of the time slots may be less than 20 μsec or about 8-12 μsec.

[0068] The operational illuminating signals OIS may include operational data for operating the LED 475 with a relatively high current, for example between about 8-12 Ampere. Thus, the illumination periods are characterized by a relatively short and high-intensity illumination.

[0069] The camera 476 generates detection data DD and sends it to the control unit 478 for further processing. The control unit analyzes the detection data DD and generates analyzed data AD of the monitored fluid. The analyzed data AD may be transmitted to an output unit 477 such as a monitor, remote computing unit, mobile phone, cloud, etc. In some embodiments, the raw detection data DD may be transmitted to be processed at a remote location by a processing unit 479.

[0070] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a system for monitoring liquid according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The system 500 has filtration unit 550 having (i) an inlet chamber 552 to receive fresh liquid to be filtered; (ii) a filter member 560 to filter particles and/or microorganism above a predetermined size from the liquid; and (iii) an outlet chamber 562 to receive the filtered liquid. The filtered liquid flows downstream from the outlet chamber 562 of the filtration unit 550 to be received in a flow channel 502. The channel 502 has an imaging portion 508 for imaging at least a portion of the liquid by an imaging unit 572. The imaging unit 572 includes a light unit 574 to illuminate the liquid that flows through the imaging portion 508, and a camera 576 to detect illumination response of the illumination of the light unit 574 at the liquid on the imaging portion 508. Control unit 578 is configured to synchronize the operation of the light unit 574 and camera 576 and to receive detection data from camera 576.