PIPETTE DISPENSER SYSTEM AND METHOD
A pipette dispenser vision system and method are disclosed. For example, a pipette dispenser vision system is provided for tracking pipettes with respect to dispensing liquid into target fluid wells, vessels, and/or reservoirs. The presently disclosed pipette dispenser vision system may include, for example, a computing device, a red/green/blue (RGB) imaging device, an infrared (IR) imaging device, an IR illumination source, and an IR sensor; all arranged with respect to, for example, a single-channel and/or a multi-channel pipette for dispensing liquid into a dispensing platform. Further, a method of using the presently disclosed pipette dispenser vision system is provided. For example, the method processes image data from the RGB imaging device and/or the IR imaging device to monitor/verify certain operations of the pipetting process and/or dispensing platform.
1 . A method of using a pipette dispenser vision system, the method comprising:
(a) dispensing liquid to a plurality of wells of a dispensing platform using a pipette;
(b) imaging the dispensing platform to generate image data;
(c) based on the image data, removing liquid from at least one well of the dispensing platform, comprising:
(i) detecting a pipette entering the at least one well;
(ii) observing the pipette aspirating liquid;
(iii) determining whether there is an oil-in-water emulsion in the pipette; and
(iv) based on the determining, confirming that the liquid is removed from the well.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pipette is one or more pipettes.
3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more pipettes are one or more single-channel pipettes or multi-channel pipettes.
4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the one or more pipettes are robotically controlled.
5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein imaging the dispensing platform to generate image data includes using a RGB imaging device.
6 . The method of claim 1 , further comprises imaging the dispensing platform to generate a second image data for further verifying the method.
7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the second image data is generated using an IR imaging device.
8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispensing platform is a microfluidic cartridge.
9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the dispensing platform is a digital microfluidic (DMF) cartridge.
10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of wells comprise at least one dispense indicator.
11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one dispense indicator is a surface of the liquid.
12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the at least one dispense indicator is a marking on a surface of a well of the plurality of wells.
13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising using the at least one dispense indicator to indicate a fill status of a well of the plurality of wells of the dispensing platform in a user interface.
14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dispensing platform comprises a barcode or QR code.
15 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising tracking the location of liquid dispensed into a well of the plurality of wells using information contained in the barcode or QR code.