Chromatography system and couplings therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11547956-B2
Application number	US-201816622524-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2018
Priority date	Jun 28, 2017
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed are chromatography systems employing a releasable coupling ( 100 ) for holding a fluid tubing to a spigot, the coupling comprising: a cylindrical inner component ( 110 ) for accepting a fluid tubing ( 30 ), said inner component including a resiliently deflectable portion ( 118 ) arranged to urge an outer surface of the tubing toward a spigot; and a cylindrical collar ( 130 ) having and internal through-aperture ( 132 ) for slideably accepting the inner component, the aperture and resilient portion having complementary surface formations which in a first position of the collar mounted to the inner component provide for said resilient deflection in use, and which in a second different position do not cause said deflection, the coupling being characterized in that the collar comprises a collar flange ( 134 ) extending outwardly away from the aperture of a size allowing manual manipulation of the collar between the first and second positions. Chromatography systems employing said couplings is disclosed also.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A chromatography system comprising:
plural components fluidically interconnectable by fluid tubing, said plural components comprising one or more ports, each port being accessible via a spigot for receiving a respective end of the fluid tubing;
a releasable coupling comprising a cylindrical collet and a cylindrical locking collar element, the cylindrical collet configured to accept the fluid tubing, the cylindrical locking collar element defining an internal through-aperture configured to slidably accept the cylindrical collet,
wherein the releasable coupling is actuable by a sliding motion of the cylindrical locking collar element along the end of the fluid tubing to releasably clamp the fluid tubing,
wherein the cylindrical collet defines a collet flange extending radially outward beyond the internal through-aperture,
wherein the spigot is provided with an open end having a sealing ridge in close proximity to the open end, and
wherein the sealing ridge is configured to form a direct seal with an inner wall of the tubing.

2. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the direct seal is a pocket-less seal around the sealing ridge of the spigot.

3. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the sealing ridge is configured to maintain the direct seal when the fluid tubing is pressurized or pressurizable to a pressure up to 20 bars.

4. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein said plural components are modular components positionably rearrangeable on a support, and wherein said fluid tubing comprises multiple lengths of fluid tubing each having opposed ends provided with one said releasable coupling at each end, in use together allowing for generally sealed fluid flow or fluid communication between respective modular components.

5. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein a first end of the fluid tubing is sealable around the spigot by the sliding motion of the cylindrical locking collar element of the releasable coupling along the end of the fluid tubing.

6. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding motion is motion generally toward a respective component, and the clamping action is releasable by said motion away from said component.

7. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the sliding motion is linear motion only.

8. The chromatography system according to claim 5 , wherein the cylindrical collet comprises a resiliently deflectable portion arranged to urge an outer surface of the tubing toward the spigot, the internal through-aperture and the resiliently deflectable portion having complementary surface formations which in a first position of the the cylindrical locking collar element mounted to the cylindrical collet provide for said resilient deflection in use, and which in a second different position prevent action against an outer surface of the fluid tubing, wherein the cylindrical locking collar element further comprises at least one projection extending outwardly away from the internal through-aperture of a size allowing manual manipulation of the cylindrical locking collar element between the first and second positions.

9. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical collet further comprises a stop portion co-operable with the cylindrical locking collar element to prevent or inhibit the sliding of the cylindrical locking collar element off the cylindrical collet in at least one direction.

10. The chromatography system according to claim 9 , wherein said cylindrical locking collar element is slideable on the cylindrical collet from said first position where said deflection is provided, to the second position where said cylindrical locking collar element abuts the stop portion.

11. The chromatography system according to claim 9 , wherein a collar flange is formed at one end of the cylindrical locking collar element, wherein the stop portion is formed at one end of the cylindrical collet, wherein the collar flange and the stop portion can be brought into proximity by manual manipulation to the second position, and wherein the cylindrical locking collar element can be further slid by manual manipulation to the first position whereat the collar flange is spaced from the stop portion.

12. The chromatography system according to claim 11 , wherein said stop portion is the collet flange extending outwardly and of a size which assists the manual manipulation of the coupling.

13. The chromatography system according to claim 11 , wherein the collar flange is a continuous annular formation upstanding from the body of the cylindrical locking collar element.

14. The chromatography system according to claim 13 , wherein the collar flange and an outer surface of the cylindrical locking collar element on which the collar flange is formed has a continuously curved profile with no sudden changes in direction.

15. The chromatography system according to claim 9 , wherein the resiliently deflectable portion of the cylindrical collet comprises plural circumferentially arranged fingers which are deflectable inwardly toward the fluid tubing in use.

16. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical locking collar element further comprises bayonet openings cooperating with complementary locking pins for releasably securing the releasable coupling to a module.

17. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the spigot is an integral part of each modular component.

18. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the spigot is provided on an adaptor configured to be connected to a port of a module.

19. The chromatography system according to claim 18 , wherein the port is a threaded hole and the adaptor comprises a corresponding threaded portion, body and spigot.

20. The chromatography system according to claim 18 , wherein the adaptor is made from a single piece of material.

21. The chromatography system according to claim 20 , wherein the single piece of material is plastic or metal.

22. The chromatography system according to claim 19 , wherein the spigot is made from a first material, and the body and the threaded portion are made from a second material.

23. The chromatography system according to claim 22 , wherein the first material is a metal and the second material is plastic.

24. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , further comprising a converter for connecting an end of a first fluid tubing to an end of a second fluid tubing, wherein the converter comprises a spigot for receiving the end of the first fluid tubing, the end of the first fluid tubing being sealable around the spigot by the releasable coupling.

25. The chromatography system according to claim 24 , wherein the converter further comprises a body and a flange, or a body and a portion with a threaded hole, configured to be connected to the end of the second fluid tubing.

26. The chromatography system according to claim 24 , wherein the converter is made from a single piece of material.

27. The chromatography system according to claim 26 , wherein the single piece of material is plastic or metal.

28. The chromatography system according to claim 25 , wherein the spigot is made from a first material, and the body and the flange, or the body and the portion with the threaded hole, are made from a second ma

Assignees

• Cytiva Sweden Ab

Inventors

• Lundkvist Mats
• Johansson Bjorn A
• Francois Tim

Classifications

• G01N2030/027

  Liquid chromatography · CPC title

• F16L33/225 Primary

  a sleeve being movable axially · CPC title

• F16L37/138

  using an axially movable sleeve · CPC title

• G01N30/6026 Primary

  Fluid seals · CPC title

• G01N30/6052

  body · CPC title