Apparatus and methods for handling and spectrophotometry of small liquid samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11054364-B2
Application number	US-201816222851-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2018
Priority date	Dec 17, 2018
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

A system comprises: (a) a robotic arm; (b) a needle capillary coupled to the robotic arm; (c) a cell coupled to the robotic arm comprising: a housing; first and second windows disposed within the housing and defining a width of an internal chamber therebetween; a collimating lens optically coupled to the first window; a focusing lens optically coupled to the second window; an inlet port fluidically coupled to a first end of the internal chamber; and an outlet port fluidically coupled to a second end of the internal chamber; (d) a pump; (e) first and second tubings fluidically coupled, respectively, between the needle capillary and the inlet port and between the pump and the outlet port; (f) a light source; (g) a photodetector; and (h) first and second optical fibers optically coupled, respectively, between the light source and the collimating lens and between the photodetector and the focusing lens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spectrophotometric and liquid handling system comprising:
a robotic arm;
a needle capillary rigidly coupled to the robotic arm;
an optical/flow cell comprising:
a housing;
a first and a second window disposed within the housing and defining a width of an internal chamber therebetween;
a collimating lens optically coupled to the first window;
a focusing lens optically coupled to the second window;
a fluidic inlet port fluidically coupled to a first end of the internal chamber; and
a fluidic outlet port fluidically coupled to a second end of the internal chamber;

a fluidic pump;
a first and a second tubing fluidically coupled, respectively, between the needle capillary and the fluidic inlet port and between the fluidic pump and the fluidic outlet port;
a light source;
a photodetector; and
a first and a second optical fiber optically coupled, respectively, between the light source and the collimating lens and between the photodetector and the focusing lens,
wherein the optical/flow cell, the light source and the photodetector are mounted onto the robotic arm or a mounting structure thereof and are configured to move together with movement of the robotic arm.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the internal chamber comprises a volume of less than or equal to 200 micro-liters (μL).

3. A system as recited in claim 2 , wherein the internal chamber comprises a volume of less than or equal to 100 micro-liters (μL).

4. A system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the fluidic outlet port is disposed substantially vertically above the fluidic inlet port and the needle capillary is disposed below the fluidic inlet port.

5. A system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the width of the internal chamber is in the range 1.0 to 1.5 millimeters (mm).

6. A system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the light source, first optical fiber, collimating lens and first window are configured such that, in operation, a collimated light beam is provided between the first and second windows that has a total volume in the range of 3-5 mm 3 between the two windows.

7. A system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a multiport valve fluidically coupled to both the fluidic pump and the second tubing;
a second fluidic pump fluidically coupled to the multiport valve; and
a source of a washing solution fluidically coupled to the second pump.

8. A system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a set of fasteners that fasten the first and second windows to the housing;
a respective set of o-rings disposed between each fastener and the housing; and
a first and a second gasket disposed, respectively, between the first window and the housing and the second window and the housing,
wherein the fasteners, gaskets and o-rings are configured such that the chamber is leak-tight up to pressures of 10 bars within the internal chamber.

9. A system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the capillary needle is configured to mate, in a leak-tight fashion, with an inlet port receptacle of a solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge, an injector port of a chromatograph or an inlet port of a mass spectrometer.

Assignees

• Thermo Finnigan Llc

Inventors

• Foster Greg A
• Lopez Ferrer Daniel

Classifications

• G01N21/33

  using ultraviolet light (G01N21/39 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N35/109

  with two horizontal degrees of freedom · CPC title

• G01N2201/068

  Optics, miscellaneous · CPC title

• G01N2035/1062

  for testing the liquid while it is in the transfer device · CPC title

• G01N2021/0346

  Capillary cells; Microcells · CPC title