Patent ID: 8452460

Claim:
An apparatus for automatic orienting of plant embryos suspended in a liquid flowing through the apparatus, comprising a) flow channels for the liquid comprising a liquid inlet of an inlet tube, a liquid outlet of an outlet tube, a reservoir tube connected to a reservoir device, said reservoir device comprising means for generating positive liquid pressure in relation to the liquid pressure at outlet, means for accommodating liquid flowing in as well as means of providing liquid for outward flow, wherein the inlet tube, the outlet tube and the reservoir tube are connected at an intersection, and wherein the flow channels are dimensioned such that embryos may travel with the liquid flowing through the channels but are restricted to travelling either in a crown-first or crown-last orientation by dimensional constraints without a possibility to change orientation while travelling through any of the said tubes unless the change in orientation occurs as disclosed further below; b) a flow direction means comprising means of: i) directing the flow from the inlet to the outlet; ii) directing the flow from the inlet to the reservoir device; and iii) directing the flow from the reservoir device to the outlet; c) detector(s) comprising an orientation detector placed in the inlet tube, wherein the orientation detector comprises means of determining the orientation of an embryo passing through the inlet tube; d) a control unit for steering the flow of the liquid in the flow channels comprising means of receiving input from the orientation detector and means controlling the flow direction means such that: i) in a default position, when no embryo is detected by the orientation detector, the flow direction means is controlled such that the flow of the liquid in the flow channels is directed from the inlet to the outlet; ii) when an embryo having an orientation matching a predetermined orientation is detected by the orientation detector, the flow direction means is controlled such that the flow of the liquid in the flow channels is directed from the inlet to the outlet; iii) when an embryo having an orientation opposite to the predetermined orientation is detected by the orientation detector, the flow direction means is controlled such that the flow of the liquid in the flow channels is directed from the inlet toward the reservoir device so that the embryo enters the reservoir tube, after which the flow direction means is controlled such that the flow of the liquid in the flow channels is directed from the reservoir device to the outlet so that the embryo enters the outlet tube, after which the flow direction means is controlled such that the flow of the liquid in the flow channels is directed from the inlet to the outlet; whereby all embryos suspended in the liquid exiting from the outlet will have an orientation matching the predetermined orientation.