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Abstract

A method for the identification of unknown microscopic particles in a fluid. A laser beam (104) is directed through the fluid while particles move through the beam. Light scattered by each particle moving through a short detect zone (114) along the beam (an 'event') is detected by some of sixteen detectors DA-DP to generate data for the event. First, a known specie of particles (e.g. a particular pathogen specie) is placed in pure fluid and a subpattern, or eventvector, of data is recorded for each of multiple events for that specie. Each eventvector represents the outputs of all detectors. The process is repeated for other known species (e.g. algae) likely to be encountered. The group of eventvectors for all selected species is analyzed by an algorithm that determines a projection direction that results in the closest grouping of eventvectors of the same specie and greatest of separation of groups of eventvectors of different species. When an unknown particle is detected and produces an unknown particle eventvector, the program views the eventvector from the previously determined projection direction, to determine whether or not the unknown particle eventvector falls into one of the groups of known eventvectors so the particle can be identified as one of the known species or not.

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First Claim