Valve for dispensing a fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10252273-B2
Application number	US-201414530858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 3, 2014
Priority date	May 8, 2012
Publication date	Apr 9, 2019
Grant date	Apr 9, 2019

Abstract

A valve for dispensing a fluid comprising a dry portion and a wet portion is presented. Only the wet portion is contacted by the fluid. The wet portion comprises a fluid dispenser unit having a inlet opening, a capillary nozzle providing a fluid outlet, a cavity, the capillary nozzle having an end within the cavity, and a plunger. The plunger moves within the cavity into an opening position allowing an inflow of the fluid through the inlet opening through the cavity and an outflow of the fluid through the capillary nozzle. The plunger has a sealing surface directed towards the end of the capillary nozzle. The plunger moves into a closing position for sealing the end of the capillary nozzle with the sealing surface. The dry portion comprises a closing component for exercising a magnetic closing force onto the plunger for attracting the plunger into the closing position.

First claim

We claim:

1. A valve for dispensing a fluid comprising a dry portion and a wet portion, wherein only the wet portion is contacted by the fluid, the wet portion comprising:
a fluid dispenser unit having a fluid inlet opening,
a capillary nozzle providing a fluid outlet,
a cavity, wherein the capillary nozzle has an end within the cavity, and
a plunger, wherein the plunger is movable within the cavity into an opening position by an actuation unit allowing an inflow of the fluid through the fluid inlet opening through the cavity and an outflow of the fluid through the capillary nozzle, wherein the plunger has a sealing surface at its side directed towards the end of the capillary nozzle, and wherein the plunger is movable into a closing position closing the end of the capillary nozzle by the sealing surface; and
the dry portion comprising:
a closing component for exercising a magnetic closing force onto the plunger for moving the plunger into the closing position, wherein at least one of the closing component and the plunger comprises a permanent magnet and the other comprises a ferromagnetic material, wherein the magnetic closing force is generated by the ferromagnetic material and the permanent magnet for keeping the valve in its normally-closed state,
wherein the end of the capillary nozzle is located between the closing component and the sealing surface, both in the normally-closed and in an open state of the valve.

2. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the closing component is releasably attached to the wet portion.

3. The valve according to claim 2 , wherein the closing component is releasably attached to the wet portion within a direction of the fluid flow through the cavity by a snap fit, a press fit, a form fit, a screw fitting, an adhesive or combinations thereof.

4. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid dispenser unit further comprises a plurality of slide faces for guiding the movement of the plunger in the cavity, wherein the slide faces are interrupted for forming a fluid channel through the cavity.

5. The valve according to claim 4 , wherein the slide faces are arranged on a wall of the cavity extending at least partially between the opening position and the closing position, wherein the slide faces extend in an axial direction of the cavity, wherein the axial extension of the slide faces towards the fluid outlet is limited by the closing position, wherein the end of the plunger facing the fluid outlet comprises a sealing surface, and wherein the capillary nozzle extends into the cavity such that the capillary nozzle is operable for balancing the closing force.

6. The valve according to claim 5 , wherein the cavity has a sealing region surrounding the capillary nozzle and wherein the sealing region is free of the slide faces.

7. The valve according to claim 4 , wherein the slide faces are arranged at the outer surface of the plunger or the inner surface of the cavity.

8. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the cavity is formed within a first injection molded part that has a lower opening, wherein the lower opening is closed by a second injection molded part and wherein the capillary nozzle extends through the second injection molded part.

9. The valve according to claim 1 , further comprises,
a holder for receiving the fluid dispenser, wherein the holder has air ducts at its inner and/or outer surface for thermal isolation of the fluid dispenser.

10. The valve according to claim 9 , wherein the holder has ledges at an inner wall, wherein the ledges are configured to hold the fluid dispenser unit in an operating position.

11. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation unit for exercising a magnetic opening forces onto the plunger is located outside the wet portion.

12. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the actuation unit comprises one of an actuation coil or a permanent magnet.

13. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing surface is formed by a sealing layer.

14. The valve according to claim 1 , wherein the closing component comprises the permanent magnet and wherein the plunger comprises a soft magnet.

15. A cartridge having a reservoir for receiving a fluid, wherein the cartridge comprises a valve according to claim 1 for dispensing the fluid from the reservoir.

16. An analysis system for analyzing a biological sample, the analysis system comprising:
a cartridge holder for holding a plurality of cartridges according to claim 15 ;
a sample vessel holder for holding a sample vessel for receiving the biological sample and one or more reagents;
a robotic component configured to provide relative movement of the cartridges in the cartridge holder relative to the sample vessel;
a sensor for sensing a quantity of the dispensed fluid and for generating commands based on the quality of the dispensed fluid;
a first controller for controlling the relative movement of the robotic component between the cartridges and the sample vessel based on commands received from the sensor; and
a second controller for controlling the actuation unit based on commands received from the sensor.

Assignees

• Roche Diagnostics Operations Inc

Inventors

• Bammesberger Stefan Borja
• Kartmann Sabrina
• Koltay Peter
• Mutschler Klaus
• Spinke Juergen
• Tanguy Laurent

Classifications

• B01L2400/0666

  Solenoid valves · CPC title

• G01N2035/1034

  Transferring microquantities of liquid · CPC title

• B01L3/52

  Containers specially adapted for storing or dispensing a reagent (B01L3/02 takes precedence; storing or dispensing test elements G01N33/4875; automated reagent dispensing G01N35/1002) · CPC title

• G01N35/0099

  comprising robots or similar manipulators (robots per se B25J) · CPC title

• B01L3/0265 Primary

  using valves to interrupt or meter fluid flow, e.g. using solenoids or metering valves · CPC title