Fluid supply devices and fluid member for forming a mobile phase for a sample separating device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021389285-A1
Application number	US-202117348531-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 15, 2021
Priority date	Jun 15, 2020
Publication date	Dec 16, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A fluid supply device for providing a mobile phase for a sample separating device includes, a supply conduit for providing a fluid which forms at least a part of the mobile phase, a fluid valve which is fluidically coupled with the supply conduit and, depending on its switching state, enables or prevents a passing of the fluid from the supply conduit, an elastic buffer unit which is fluidically coupled upstream of the fluid valve with the supply conduit and which is configured for buffering the fluid, and a fluid conveying unit for conveying the fluid which passes the fluid valve.

First claim

1 . A fluid supply device for providing a mobile phase for a sample separating device, the fluid supply device comprising:
a supply conduit for providing a fluid which forms at least a part of the mobile phase; a fluid valve which is fluidically coupled with the supply conduit and, depending on its switching state, enables or prevents a passing of the fluid from the supply conduit; an elastic buffer unit which is fluidically coupled upstream of the fluid valve with the supply conduit and which is configured for buffering the fluid; and a fluid conveying unit for conveying the fluid which is passing the fluid valve.

2 . The fluid supply device according to claim 1 , comprising:
at least one further supply conduit for providing at least one further fluid which forms at least a further part of the mobile phase; at least one further fluid valve which is fluidically coupled with the at least one further supply conduit and, depending on its switching state, enables or prevents a passing of the at least one further fluid from the at least one further supply conduit; and at least one further elastic buffer unit which is fluidically coupled upstream of the at least one further fluid valve with the at least one further supply conduit and which is configured for buffering the at least one further fluid, wherein the fluid conveying unit is configured for conveying the at least one further fluid which passes the at least one further fluid valve, such that the mobile phase is formed of the fluid and the at least one further fluid.

3 . The fluid supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer unit comprises a variable buffer volume and an elastic compensating element which is at least partially delimiting the buffer volume, which is configured for elastically compensating pressure fluctuations in the supply conduit.

4 . The fluid supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer unit comprises one of:
a sensor unit for detecting a sensor information which is related to the fluid in the supply conduit; a sensor membrane for detecting a sensor information which is related to the fluid in the supply conduit.

5 . The fluid supply device according to claim 4 , wherein the sensor information is selected from the group consisting of: a pressure of the fluid in the supply conduit; a flow rate of the fluid in the supply conduit; a density of the fluid in the supply conduit; and a temperature of the fluid in the supply conduit.

6 . The fluid supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer unit comprises one of:
an actor unit for acting of the buffer unit on the fluid; an actor membrane for acting of the buffer unit on the fluid.

7 . The fluid supply device according to claim 6 , wherein acting on the fluid is selected from the group consisting of: a change of the elasticity of the buffer unit between a more rigid and a more flexible configuration; and a force application.

8 . The fluid supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer unit comprises a tempering unit for tempering the fluid so as to heat and/or cool the fluid.

9 . The fluid supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer unit comprises an electroactive polymer configured as at least a part of a sensor unit and/or an actor unit of the buffer unit.

10 . The fluid supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer unit is actively controllable by a control unit configured to apply an electric signal to the buffer unit.

11 . An integrally formed fluid member for combining and mixing fluids for forming a mobile phase in a fluid supply device, the integrally formed fluid member comprising:
a plurality of fluid inlets, wherein a respective fluid is suppliable at each of the fluid inlets; a fluid combining unit for combining the fluids which are supplied at the fluid inlets; and a mixing unit for mixing the combined fluids and for providing the mixed fluids as mobile phase at a fluid outlet, wherein the mixing unit is a passive mixing unit without movable parts.

12 . The integrally formed fluid member according to claim 11 , comprising at least one of the following features:
configured as stiff body with fluid channels which extend originating from the fluid inlets via at least one combining position of the fluids and then through the mixing unit up to the fluid outlet; wherein the fluid member is shaped as a plate and/or is configured as an injection molded part or as a laminate; wherein the fluid combining unit comprises inlet channels which are fluidically coupled with the fluid inlets, which are combined to a single outlet channel at a combining position, which leads to the mixing unit; wherein the fluid combining unit comprises inlet channels which are fluidically coupled with the fluid inlets, which are combined to a single outlet channel at a combining position, which leads to the mixing unit, wherein the inlet channels and the combining position form a substantially X-shaped fluidic structure or an array of, in particular substantially X-shaped, introducing structures; wherein the mixing unit is configured for splitting the combined fluids into multiple separate fluid streams in different mixing channels and for recombining the fluid streams from the mixing channels to the mixed mobile phase; wherein the mixing unit is configured for splitting the combined fluids into multiple separate fluid streams in different mixing channels and for recombining the fluid streams from the mixing channels to the mixed mobile phase, wherein the different mixing channels are configured to predetermine different flow times for the different flow streams; wherein the mixing unit is configured as elongated structure; wherein the fluid member comprises a sensor unit for detecting a sensor information which is related to the single fluids and/or the mobile phase, wherein the sensor information is selected from the group consisting of: a pressure of the single fluids and/or the mobile phase; a flow rate of the single fluids and/or the mobile phase; and a temperature of the single fluids and/or the mobile phase; wherein the fluid member comprises a tempering unit for tempering the single fluids and/or the mobile phase so as to heat and/or cool the single fluids and/or the mobile phase; which is made of one material; wherein the fluid combining unit is configured for splitting each fluid which is supplied at a respective one of the fluid inlets into multiple respective partial channels, and is further configured to combine the partial channels which are assigned to different ones of the fluids at each of a plurality of combining positions, to thereby obtain a respective combined flow of the different fluids at each of the combining positions, and wherein the fluid combining unit is further configured to supply the flows which are combined at the combining positions to the mixing unit for mixing.

13 . A fluid supply device for providing a mobile phase for a sample separating device, the fluid supply device comprising:
a plurality of supply conduits, wherein each supply conduit is configured for providing a respective fluid which commonly form the mobile phase; a plurality of fluid valves, wherein each fluid valve is fluidically coupled with a respective one of the supply conduits, and wherein each fluid valve, depending on its switching state, enables or prevents a passing of the respective fluid from the respective supply conduit; an integrally formed fluid member according to claim 11 , whose fluid inlets are coupled with the fluid valves and at whose fluid outlet the mobile phase is provided; and a fluid conveying unit which is fluidically coupled with the

Assignees

• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Plachetka Clemens
• Shoykhet Konstantin
• Ziegler Tony
• Wagner Joachim-Richard
• Berndt Manfred

Classifications

• G01N30/36 Primary

  in high pressure liquid systems · CPC title

• B01D15/14 Primary

  relating to the introduction of the feed to the apparatus · CPC title

• G01N30/26 Primary

  Conditioning of the fluid carrier; Flow patterns · CPC title

• G01N30/20

  using a sampling valve · CPC title

• G01N2030/201

  multiport valves, i.e. having more than two ports · CPC title