Non-contact micro droplet dispenser and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10486152-B2
Application number	US-201414784757-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2014
Priority date	Apr 19, 2013
Publication date	Nov 26, 2019
Grant date	Nov 26, 2019

Abstract

A liquid deposition system comprises a liquid delivery assembly including a dispensing probe having a sidewall including a first end having a liquid port and a second end having a tip, and a flow path opening at the tip and fluidly connected with the liquid port. The system includes a gas injection assembly with a manifold having a gas nozzle, a nozzle opening, and a gas port, the gas nozzle configured to eject a substantially laminar gas stream so that the gas stream travels through a travel path, the tip of the dispensing probe extending into the travel path. The liquid port is fluidly connectable with a liquid source and the gas port is fluidly connectable with a pressurized gas source, so that a liquid micro droplet is formed at the tip. The laminar gas stream separates the micro droplet from the tip and carries it through the travel path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A non-contact micro-droplet dispenser, comprising:
a support;
a valve;
a controller operably coupled with the valve;
a gas injection assembly supported by the support, including a gas manifold having a gas nozzle and a nozzle opening configured to eject a substantially laminar gas stream so that the substantially laminar gas stream travels through a travel path;
a pressurized gas supply line fluidly connected with the gas nozzle and controlled by the valve;
a liquid delivery assembly including a dispensing probe having a sidewall including a first end having a liquid port and a second end having a tip, and a flow path opening at the tip and fluidly connected with the liquid port, the tip within the travel path;
a liquid pump operably coupled with the controller and fluidly connected to the liquid port of the dispensing probe, the liquid pump configured to deliver a volume of liquid to the dispensing probe so that at least one micro droplet is formed at the tip;
wherein the sidewall of the dispensing probe extends within the gas nozzle, and through the nozzle opening, a portion of the sidewall of the dispensing probe extending beyond the gas nozzle such that the flow path opening at the tip of the sidewall is located outside of the gas nozzle and in the travel path; and
wherein the laminar gas stream is configured to exert downward force on the micro droplet associated with the tip so that the micro droplet separates from the tip and is carried through the travel path by the laminar gas stream;
a target vessel positioned at a distance below the tip and having a target opening positioned so as to intersect the travel path, and wherein the substantially laminar gas stream is configured to inject the micro droplet into the target opening;
a temperature control system regulating a temperature within the target vessel to a predetermined temperature, characterized in that the temperature control system has temperature sensors, wherein the temperature sensors are positioned so as to detect at least one of the temperature inside the target vessel, at the target opening, or just above the target opening, and combinations thereof.

2. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the gas nozzle is substantially cylindrical, and wherein the dispensing probe extends through the gas nozzle substantially coaxially with the gas nozzle.

3. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the tip is positioned in the travel path such that the substantially laminar gas stream travels substantially parallel to the sidewall.

4. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the target vessel is a cryogenically cooled target vessel.

5. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 1 , wherein the support movably supports the manifold such that the distance between the tip and the target opening is adjustable.

6. A non-contact micro-droplet dispenser, comprising:
a support;
a valve;
a gas injection assembly supported by the support, including:
a gas manifold having a gas nozzle and a nozzle opening configured to eject a substantially laminar gas stream so that the substantially laminar gas stream travels through a travel path;
a pressurized gas supply line fluidly connected with the gas nozzle and controlled by the valve;
a liquid delivery assembly including:
a liquid manifold supported by the support;
a dispensing probe having a tip positioned in the travel path;
a controller operably coupled with the valve;
a liquid pump operably coupled with the controller and fluidly connected with the dispensing probe, upon receiving a first signal from the controller, the liquid pump configured to deliver a volume of liquid to the dispensing probe so that at least one micro droplet is formed at the tip; and
wherein the controller opens and closes the valve to cause a substantially laminar gas stream to be ejected through the nozzle opening and thereby exert downward force on the micro droplet associated with the tip so that the micro droplet separates from the tip and is carried through the travel path by the substantially laminar gas stream;
a cryogenically cooled target vessel having a target opening positioned at a distance below the tip so as to intersect the travel path;
the distance between the tip and the target opening being adjusted so that the liquid in the dispensing probe and/or the micro droplet formed at the tip does not freeze.

7. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 6 , wherein the dispensing probe extending through the gas nozzle so that the tip extends a distance past the nozzle opening such that the tip is positioned in the travel path.

8. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 6 , further comprising a temperature control system includes one or more heat exchanger associated with the cryogenically cooled target vessel, one or more temperature sensors to determine the temperature within the cryogenically cooled target vessel, and a temperature controller to regulate the one or more heat exchanger based upon input from the one or more temperature sensors thereby regulating a temperature within the cryogenically cooled target vessel to a predetermined temperature.

9. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the temperature control system regulates the temperature within the cryogenically cooled target vessel to below room temperature.

10. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the cryogenically cooled target vessel is selected from a group consisting of a test tube, a vial, a cartridge, a well of a micro titer plate, and a microfluidic device.

11. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the distance between the tip and the cryogenically cooled target vessel is adjustable.

12. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the temperature control system has at least one temperature sensor just above the target opening.

13. The non-contact micro-droplet dispenser of claim 8 , wherein the temperature control system has at least one temperature sensor outside of the cryogenically cooled target vessel.

14. A non-contact micro-droplet dispenser, comprising:
a plurality of liquid deposition systems, at least two of the liquid deposition systems comprising:
a liquid pump assembly;
a valve assembly;
a liquid delivery assembly including one or more dispensing probes having a sidewall including a first end having a liquid port and a second end having a tip, and a flow path opening at the tip and fluidly connected with the liquid pump;
a gas injection assembly including one or more manifolds having a gas nozzle, a nozzle opening, and a gas port connected to the valve, the gas nozzle configured to eject a substantially laminar gas stream through the nozzle opening so that the substantially laminar gas stream travels through a travel path, the one or more manifold positioned so that the tip of the one or more dispensing probe extends at least partially into the travel path; and
a controller controlling the liquid pump assemblies and the valve assemblies of the at least two liquid deposition systems to enable the liquid pump to cause at least one micro droplet to be formed at the tip when a volume of liquid flows through the flow path, and control the valve to enable a pulse of the laminar gas stream to separate the at least one micro droplet from the tip and carry the at least one micro droplet through the travel path, the controller being configured to independently control the liquid pump and the valve of one of the at least two liquid deposition systems relative to the liquid

Assignees

• Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc

Inventors

• Li Jay J
• Desmarais Normand P
• Rasmussen James E
• Cowden Eric

Classifications

• B01L2300/0838

  Capillaries · CPC title

• B01L2300/1894

  Cooling means; Cryo cooling · CPC title

• B01L7/50

  Cryostats · CPC title

• B01L2200/16

  Reagents, handling or storing thereof · CPC title

• B01L3/0265 Primary

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