US Patent 10458990 Spore state discrimination

A flow of air including a fungal spore is directed to a collection cartridge. The spore is trapped within the cartridge and positioned within a field of view of a camera sensor. A UV light is activated to illuminate the spore and a camera shutter is opened for a time period. The camera sensor collects light emitted from the spore during a first portion of the time period. After the first portion has elapsed, first and second bursts of white light originating from first and second positions, respectively, are directed towards the spore during a second portion of the time period. After the second portion of the time period has elapsed, the camera shutter is closed to generate an image. The image is analyzed to obtain a shape of the spore.