Patent ID: 11948307
Assignee: NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION KOBE UNIVERSITY
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  C  H | IPC C  G  H

Claim 1:
2. A pre-processing apparatus for performing pre-processing on cells, the pre-processing apparatus comprising:
a centrifugation mechanism that is configured to centrifuge a container in which a culture medium containing cells is housed;
a solid-liquid boundary detection device configured to detect a boundary between the cells and a liquid centrifuged in the container by the centrifugation mechanism;
a liquid removal pump that removes the liquid other than the cells in the container on the basis of a position of the boundary detected by the boundary detection processor,
wherein the solid-liquid boundary detection device comprises:
a surface illumination configured to illuminate the container from outside;
an imaging unit that is arranged on an opposite side of the container from the surface illumination, and is configured to capture an image including the boundary;
a pedestal portion configured to receive a bottom portion of the container;
a movement actuator configured to move the pedestal portion in a direction intersecting a horizontal direction and position the container at an imaging position; and
a holding clasp configured to hold the container, which is positioned at the imaging position by the movement actuator, at the imaging position; and
a boundary detection processor configured to detect the boundary from the image captured by the imaging unit,

wherein the movement actuator is configured to retract the pedestal portion after the container is held at the imaging position by the holding clasp, and
wherein the imaging unit is configured to capture an image of the container after the pedestal portion is retracted by the movement actuator.