초록 ▼

A system for the rapid analysis of microbiological parameters includes a specimen container for containing a liquid sample, a housing having an enclosable chamber shaped for receiving the specimen container, an incubating system mounted within the housing for incubating microbiological materials wit

A system for the rapid analysis of microbiological parameters includes a specimen container for containing a liquid sample, a housing having an enclosable chamber shaped for receiving the specimen container, an incubating system mounted within the housing for incubating microbiological materials within the liquid sample, and a spectrophotometer system mounted within the housing for measuring light absorbed, emitted or scattered by the liquid samples as the microbiological materials are incubated by the incubating system over time. The specimen container is filled with a liquid sample to be tested and mixed with a reagent that provides a detectable parameter, and placed inside the apparatus. The incubation system heats and maintains the temperature of the liquid sample within a preset range while the spectrophotometer system propagates light within the specimen container, and monitors and records changes in the light as the light propagates through the container. A continuous non-intrusive monitoring and recording of the test parameter is achieved as the incubation progresses. Any significant deviation of the signal output is an indication of presence of the detectable parameter, while the time taken to reach the significant deviation provides quantification of the microbiological parameter under investigation.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An apparatus for rapid analysis of microbiological materials in a liquid sample, comprising: (a) a specimen container for containing a liquid sample, the specimen container being made from a material that allows for propagation of light;(b) a housing having an incubation chamber shaped for holdin

1. An apparatus for rapid analysis of microbiological materials in a liquid sample, comprising: (a) a specimen container for containing a liquid sample, the specimen container being made from a material that allows for propagation of light;(b) a housing having an incubation chamber shaped for holding the specimen container, the housing comprising a container holder mounted within the incubation chamber, the container holder being configured to hold the specimen container, and wherein the housing comprises a base, and the container holder comprises an upwardly extending, generally cylindrical wall mounted on the base, the wall having an open top end shaped for receiving the specimen container and a removable cap removably coupled to the base, the removable cap being shaped to surround and enclose the container holder;(c) a heating element mounted within the container holder for incubating any microbiological materials within the liquid sample; and(d) one or more light emitting sources and one or more light detectors mounted within the container holder for propagating light within the specimen container and positioned for measuring the light absorbed, emitted or scattered by the liquid sample as the microbiological materials are incubated within the incubation chamber over time, thereby detecting changes in amount of the light as the light propagates through the microbiological materials and producing a detector signal indicative of the changes; wherein the bottom portion of the wall of the container holder comprises a pair of diametrically opposed indents, and the specimen container comprises a pair of diametrically opposed recesses shaped to register with the indents and wherein at least one light emitting source is mounted in one of the pair of indents, and at least one detector is mounted in the other of the pair of indents to provide a field of view of at a 180° angle to the optical path of the at least one light emitting source. 2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, also comprising a spectrophotometer controller for controlling the light emitting source and the detector, wherein the spectrophotometer controller comprises a microprocessor for processing the detector signal and for generating a record of the changes in the light as a function of time. 3. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the light emitting source comprises a light emitting diode, and the detector comprises a phototransistor. 4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, that comprises a first light emitting source for propagating a first beam of light within the specimen container and a first detector mounted within the container holder for detecting changes in the first light beam, and a second light emitting source for propagating a second beam of light within the specimen container, and a second detector mounted within the container holder for detecting changes in the second beam of light. 5. The apparatus defined in claim 4, further comprising a third light emitting source for propagating a third beam of light within the specimen container and a third detector mounted within the container holder for detecting changes in the third beam of light. 6. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the light emitting source and the detector are mounted in the container holder at a location proximate to the specimen container when the specimen container is placed in the housing. 7. The apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor mounted within the container holder. 8. The apparatus defined in claim 7, wherein the temperature sensor extends upwardly into the container holder, and the specimen container has a bottom cavity shaped to accommodate the temperature sensor. 9. The apparatus defined in claim 7, wherein the heating element extends upwardly into the container holder, and the specimen container has a bottom cavity shaped to accommodate the heating element. 10. The apparatus defined in claim 4, also comprising a spectrophotometer controller for controlling the first and the second light emitting sources and detectors so as to detect the changes in the first light beam and the changes in the second light beam at the same time. 11. Apparatus for incubating and analyzing microbiological materials in a liquid sample, comprising: (a) a housing comprising a base, a single container holder mounted on the base, the container holder being shaped for holding a specimen container wherein the container holder comprises an upwardly extending generally cylindrical wall mounted on the base, and a bottom portion of the wall comprises a pair of diametrically opposed indents and wherein the specimen container comprises a pair of diametrically opposed recesses shaped to register with the indents, and a removable cap releasably coupled to the base, the removable cap being configured to surround and enclose the container holder so as to create an insulated and light tight incubation-detection chamber for the specimen container;(b) heating apparatus for heating and maintaining the liquid sample at a constant temperature, the heating apparatus comprising a heating element mounted within the container holder and a temperature sensor mounted within the container holder; and(c) at least one light emitting source mounted within the container holder in one of the pair of indents for propagating light within the specimen container and at least one light detector mounted within the container holder in the other of the pair of indents and positioned to have a field of view at a 180° angle to the optical path of the at least one light emitting source for measuring the light absorbed, emitted or scattered by the microbiological materials as the liquid sample is maintained at the constant temperature within the incubation-detection chamber over time and for producing a detector signal indicative of changes in the measured light. 12. An apparatus for rapid analysis of microbiological materials in a liquid sample, comprising: (a) a housing having an incubation chamber shaped for holding a specimen container for containing a liquid sample, the specimen container being made from a material that allows for propagation of light, the housing comprising a container holder mounted within the incubation chamber, the container holder being configured to hold the specimen container wherein the container holder comprises an upwardly extending generally cylindrical wall mounted on the base, and a bottom portion of the wall comprises a pair of diametrically opposed indents;(b) a heating element mounted within the container holder for incubating any microbiological materials within the liquid sample; and(c) at least one light emitting source mounted within the container holder in one of the pair of indents for emitting light within a liquid sample in the specimen container and at least one light detector mounted within the container holder in the other of the pair of indents and positioned to have a field of view at a 180° angle to the optical path of the at least one light emitting source for measuring the light absorbed, emitted or scattered by the liquid sample as the microbiological materials are incubated within the incubation chamber over time.