In-line pressure accumulator and flow-control system for biological or chemical assays

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10976334-B2
Application number	US-201615754987-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 17, 2016
Priority date	Aug 24, 2015
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

Flow-control system includes a fluid reservoir configured to store a fluid, a pressure accumulator in flow communication with and positioned downstream from the fluid reservoir, and a loading zone that is configured to receive and fluidly couple to a flow cell having a biological or chemical sample. The loading zone is in flow communication with and positioned downstream from the pressure accumulator. The flow-control system also includes a system pump in flow communication with and positioned downstream from the loading zone. The system pump is configured to induce a flow of the fluid from the fluid reservoir and through the pressure accumulator and the loading zone. The pressure accumulator is configured to receive fluid from the fluid reservoir during a filling operation. The pressure accumulator is configured to impart pressure on the fluid and drive the fluid toward the loading zone during a pressure-assist operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flow-control system comprising:
a fluid reservoir configured to store a fluid;
a pressure accumulator in flow communication with and positioned downstream from the fluid reservoir;
a loading zone configured to receive and fluidly couple to a flow cell having a biological or chemical sample, the loading zone being in flow communication with and positioned downstream from the pressure accumulator; and
a system pump in flow communication with and positioned downstream from the loading zone, the system pump configured to induce a flow of the fluid from the fluid reservoir and through the pressure accumulator and the loading zone;
wherein the pressure accumulator includes a wall actuator and an interior chamber that is defined by a movable chamber wall and has an operating volume, the wall actuator configured to move the chamber wall and thereby change the operating volume of the interior chamber, the pressure accumulator configured to receive fluid into the interior chamber from the fluid reservoir during a filling operation, the wall actuator configured to move the chamber wall to impart pressure on the fluid and drive the fluid toward the loading zone during a pressure-assist operation;
wherein the interior chamber is defined by a body surface, wherein at least one of the chamber wall and the body surface has a discontinuity section that defines a flow channel between the chamber wall and the body surface.

2. The flow-control system of claim 1 , further comprising a processing unit configured to control operation of the system pump and the pressure accumulator in accordance with a predetermined schedule, the predetermined schedule includes repeating the filling operation and the pressure-assist operation at least ten times.

3. The flow-control system of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is configured to control operation of the system pump and the pressure accumulator in accordance with a sequencing-by-synthesis (SBS) protocol.

4. The flow-control system of claim 2 , wherein the processing unit is configured to control operation of the system pump and the pressure accumulator to perform a recycling operation in which the fluid from the flow cell is drawn back to the interior chamber of the pressure accumulator.

5. The flow-control system of claim 1 , wherein the filling operation is performed during at least one of (a) a reaction period in which reagents react with the biological or chemical sample in the flow cell or (b) an offline period in which the pressure accumulator is not in flow communication with the system pump.

6. The flow-control system of claim 1 , further comprising first and second valves, the first valve being positioned between the fluid reservoir and the pressure accumulator, the second valve being positioned between the pressure accumulator and the flow cell, wherein:
the first valve is in an open state and the second valve is in a closed state during the filling operation; and
the first valve is in a closed state and the second valve is in an open state during the pressure-assist operation.

7. The flow-control system of claim 6 , wherein the first valve is in a closed state and the second valve is in an open state during a recycling operation in which the movable chamber wall causes the fluid to flow from the flow cell back into the interior chamber.

8. The flow-control system of claim 1 , wherein the chamber wall has the discontinuity section, the discontinuity section of the chamber wall including at least one of (a) a support member that shapes the discontinuity section; (b) an increased thickness in the chamber wall; (c) or a molded three-dimensional shape.

9. The flow-control system of claim 1 , wherein the body surface has the discontinuity section, the discontinuity section including a groove shaped by the body surface.

10. The flow-control system of claim 1 , wherein the interior chamber is defined by a body surface, wherein the chamber wall and the body surface are shaped relative to each other such that a flow channel is formed therebetween when the chamber wall is at a maximum displacement.

11. The flow-control system of claim 1 , wherein the interior chamber is defined by a body surface, wherein the chamber wall and the body surface are shaped relative to each other such that respective areas of the chamber wall and the body surface press against each other and other areas of the chamber wall and the body surface have a flow channel therebetween.

12. The flow-control system of claim 1 , further comprising a flow sensor, the wall actuator being configured to (a) move the chamber wall at designated times or (b) move the chamber wall at different rates, wherein the designated times or different rates are based on a pressure of the fluid within the flow-control system.

13. The flow-control system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of interior chambers and a plurality of chamber walls that define respective interior chambers, wherein the wall actuator is configured to move at least two of the chamber walls at different times.

14. The flow-control system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of interior chambers and a single membrane sheet that form the chamber walls that define the interior chambers.

15. The flow-control system of claim 1 , wherein the interior chamber has an operating volume that is substantially less than a total volume of the fluid reservoir.

16. A pressure accumulator comprising:
a main body having an inlet, an outlet, and an interior chamber, the inlet and the outlet being in flow communication with each other through the interior chamber, the interior chamber being defined by a body surface;
a chamber wall that also defines the interior chamber; and
a wall actuator configured to move the chamber wall to different positions relative to the body surface to change an operating volume of the interior chamber, the chamber wall configured to move between a retracted position and a displaced position, the operating volume of the interior chamber being greater in the retracted position than in the displaced position;
wherein the chamber wall and the body surface are shaped relative to each other to define a flow channel therebetween when the chamber wall is in the displaced position, the flow channel fluidly coupling the inlet and the outlet;
wherein at least one of the chamber wall and the body surface has a discontinuity section that defines the flow channel between the chamber wall and the body surface.

17. The pressure accumulator of claim 16 , wherein the discontinuity section includes an abrupt change in a contour of the chamber wall or the body surface.

18. The pressure accumulator of claim 16 , wherein the chamber wall has the discontinuity section, the discontinuity section of the chamber wall including at least one of (a) a support member that shapes the discontinuity section; (b) an increased thickness in the chamber wall; (c) or a molded three-dimensional shape.

19. The pressure accumulator of claim 16 , wherein the body surface has the discontinuity section, the discontinuity section including a groove shaped by the body surface.

20. The pressure accumulator of claim 16 , wherein the chamber wall and the body surface are shaped relative to each other such that the flow channel is formed therebetween when the chamber wall is at a maximum displacement.

21. The pressure accumulator of claim 16 , wherein the chamber wall and the body surface are shaped relative to each other such that respective areas o

Assignees

• Illumina Inc

Inventors

• Stone Michael J
• Drews Brad
• Williamson Erik

Classifications

• G01N35/1097 Primary

  characterised by the valves (valves in general F16K) · CPC title

• G01N35/1095 Primary

  for supplying the samples to flow-through analysers (for a specific analyser see relevant groups, e.g. under G01N15/00, G01N21/00, G01N27/00, G01N30/00, H01J49/00) · CPC title

• G01N35/0092 Primary

  Scheduling · CPC title