Abstract: An assay device is disclosed comprising a housing and a test portion, electronic circuitry and an optical assembly each a least partially located in the housing. The test portion comprises one or more test zones adapted to receive an analyte and a fluorescent label associated with the analyte, the fluorescent label being excitable by excitation light and adapted to emit emission light upon excitation by excitation light. The electronic circuitry comprises one or more light sources and one or more light detectors. The optical assembly comprises one or more excitation light guides adapted to guide excitation light from the one or more light sources to the one or more test zones, and/or one or more emission light guides adapted to guide emission light from the one or more test zone to the one or more light detectors.

Abstract: An assay device is disclosed comprising a housing and a test portion, electronic circuitry and an optical assembly each a least partially located in the housing. The test portion comprises one or more test zones adapted to receive an analyte and a fluorescent label associated with the analyte, the fluorescent label being excitable by excitation light and adapted to emit emission light upon excitation by excitation light. The electronic circuitry comprises one or more light sources and one or more light detectors. The optical assembly comprises one or more excitation light guides adapted to guide excitation light from the one or more light sources to the one or more test zones, and/or one or more emission light guides adapted to guide emission light from the one or more test zone to the one or more light detectors.

Abstract: Instruments and cartridges for processing droplets in emulsions containing biological entities such as cells. A method of such processing comprises providing a plurality of the entities in a fluid; preparing a droplet from the fluid; determining whether the droplet contains one or more entities of said plurality of entities, or whether said droplet does not contain a said entity; sorting said droplet dependent on an outcome of the determination; and dispensing the sorted droplet into a reservoir. The dispensing may comprise identifying and extracting the sorted droplet from a first fluidic flow path of said fluid by transferring the sorted droplet from into a second fluidic flow path and then ejecting the sorted droplet into a reservoir by applying pressure to the second fluidic flow path. The droplet contents may be tracked so that the contents of an individual droplet can be sorted, selectively dispensed, and retrieved.

Abstract: An assay device is disclosed comprising a housing and a test portion, electronic circuitry and an optical assembly each a least partially located in the housing. The test portion comprises one or more test zones adapted to receive an analyte and a fluorescent label associated with the analyte, the fluorescent label being excitable by excitation light and adapted to emit emission light upon excitation by excitation light. The electronic circuitry comprises one or more light sources and one or more light detectors. The optical assembly comprises one or more excitation light guides adapted to guide excitation light from the one or more light sources to the one or more test zones, and/or one or more emission light guides adapted to guide emission light from the one or more test zone to the one or more light detectors.

Abstract: An assay device is disclosed comprising a housing (10) and a test portion (2), electronic circuitry (30) and an optical assembly (41), each at least partially located in the housing (10). The test portion (2) comprises one or more test zones (2E, 2F) adapted to receive an analyte (22) and a fluorescent label associated with the analyte, the fluorescent label being excitable by excitation light and adapted to emit emission light upon excitation by excitation light. The electronic circuitry (30) comprises one or more light sources (31, 32) and one or more light detectors (33). The optical assembly (41-44) comprises one or more excitation light guides (41, 44) adapted to guide excitation light from the one or more light sources (31, 32) to the one or more test zones (2e, 2f), and/or one or more emission light guides (43, 44) adapted to guide emission light from the one or more test zones (2e, 2f) to the one or more light detectors (33).

Abstract: An assay device is disclosed comprising a housing (10) and a test portion (2), electronic circuitry (30) and an optical assembly (41), each at least partially located in the housing (10). The test portion (2) comprises one or more test zones (2E, 2F) adapted to receive an analyte (22) and a fluorescent label associated with the analyte, the fluorescent label being excitable by excitation light and adapted to emit emission light upon excitation by excitation light. The electronic circuitry (30) comprises one or more light sources (31, 32) and one or more light detectors (33). The optical assembly (41-44) comprises one or more excitation light guides (41, 44) adapted to guide excitation light from the one or more light sources (31, 32) to the one or more test zones (2e, 2f), and/or one or more emission light guides (43, 44) adapted to guide emission light from the one or more test zones (2e, 2f) to the one or more light detectors (33).

Abstract: An optical detection device for validating bank notes has several input apertures, an imagine device (12), a diffraction grating (15.1, 15.2, 15.3) associated with each input aperture (11.1, 11.2, 11.3) and a detection array (17). The diffraction grating (15.1, 15.2, 15.3) is rotated at angle of e.g. 45 degrees relative to the orientation of the linear detection array (17). This arrangement enables the spectra of multiple points to be measured simultaneously. The angle of rotation, the pitch of the apertures (11.1, 11.2, 11.3) and a pitch of the diffraction grating (15.1, 15.2, 15.3) are selected in such a way that the spectra of said multiple points are contiguously mapped onto the detection array (17) having a single linear array of color sensitive detection pixels. The axis of the linear array is offset with respect to an optical axis (7) of the optical detection device.

Abstract: The invention concerns an interferometric optical block for Fourier Transform spectrometers having three planar nominally parallel surfaces with the two outer surfaces adapted to act as beam reflectors for internal light and the third surface in operation acting as a beam splitter and beam combiner, the optical block having an input portion by means of which an input beam of light to be analysed can be input so as partially to pass through said third surface to be internally reflected by one of said outer reflectors, and partially to be reflected by said third surface so as then to be internally reflected by the other of said outer reflectors whereby light internally reflected by said outer reflectors is combined at said third surface to produce an exit beam, and wherein said outer surfaces have an inclination with respect to one another so as to make a variation in path lengths in the light forming the exit beam so as to generate an interference fringe field.

Abstract: An optical detection device for validating bank rates has several input apertures, an imaging device (12), a diffraction grating (15.1, 15.2, 15.3) associated with each input aperture (11.1, 11.2, 11.3) and a detection array (17). The diffraction grating (15.1, 15.2, 15.3) is rotated at angle of e.g. 45 degrees relative to the orientation of the linear detection array (17). This arrangement enables the spectra of multiple points to be measured simultaneously. The angle of rotation, the pitch of the apertures (11.1, 11.2, 11.3) and a pitch of the diffraction grating (15.1, 15.2, 15,3) are selected in such a way that the spectra of sad multiple points are contiguously mapped onto the detection array (17) has a single linear array of color sensitive detection pixels. The acxis of the linear array is offset with respect to an optical axis (7) of the optical detection device.

Abstract: A method for particle size detection comprises passing particles in a fluid medium relative to a light source which generates a light field the optical axis of which is transverse to the direction of fluid movement relative to the said light source and having a plurality of non-interferometrically formed variations in intensity spaced along the direction of movement of the particles relative to the light field, detecting variations in light intensity caused by the particles as they pass through the variations in the light field, and measuring the size of a detected particle substantially independently of the optical characteristics of the particle by plotting the mean peak signal as a function of the normalised peak-to-trough variation in the output pulses generated by the passages of the particle through the light field.