Fluid sampling system and method of using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026061417-A1
Application number	US-202519253105-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 27, 2025
Priority date	Jul 3, 2024
Publication date	Mar 5, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

Various embodiments described herein relate to methods, apparatuses, and systems for sampling fluid and analyzing fluid samples. In various embodiments, a fluid sampling cartridge for capturing a fluid sample comprises a slide body configured for receiving a fluid sample within a fluid channel; a cartridge locator configured for physical engagement with a housing defined by a fluid sampling system to align the fluid sampling cartridge in an installed position within the housing; a body holder secured relative to the slide body and configured to be dynamically engaged with the cartridge locator, wherein the cartridge locator is configured to rotate about a central axis thereof relative to the body holder; wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured for arrangement within the housing in the installed position to facilitate execution of an imaging operation by the fluid sampling system with respect to the fluid sample captured in the fluid channel.

First claim

1 . A fluid sampling cartridge for capturing a fluid sample, the fluid sampling cartridge comprising:
a slide body configured for receiving a fluid sample within a fluid channel defined within an interior of the slide body; a cartridge locator configured for physical engagement with at least a portion of a housing defined by a fluid sampling system to at least partially align the fluid sampling cartridge in an installed position within the housing of the fluid sampling system; and, a body holder secured relative to the slide body and configured to be dynamically engaged with the cartridge locator to at least partially secure the cartridge locator relative to the slide body in one or more direction, wherein dynamic engagement of the cartridge locator relative to the body holder is defined by the cartridge locator being configured to rotate in one or more directions about a central axis thereof relative to the body holder; wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured to facilitate selective arrangement of the fluid sampling cartridge between a locked configuration and an unlocked configuration within the housing of the fluid sampling system based at least in part on one or more relative movements of the cartridge locator with respect to the body holder dynamically engaged therewith; wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured for arrangement within the housing of the fluid sampling system in the installed position to facilitate execution of an imaging operation by the fluid sampling system with respect to the fluid sample captured in the fluid channel while the fluid sampling cartridge remains in the installed position within the housing.

2 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured for arrangement within a housing of a fluid sampling system such that the fluid sample captured within the fluid channel is disposed within a field of view of an imaging device disposed within the housing of the fluid sampling system.

3 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 2 , wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured to enable an imaging of the fluid sample captured within the fluid channel by the imaging device at an instance during operation of the fluid sampling system in which a volume of fluid is flowing through the fluid channel.

4 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured to facilitate the imaging of the fluid sample defined by the imaging device executing a digital holography imaging technique.

5 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured such that upon being arranged in the installed position, the cartridge locator is configured to physically engage one or more biasing plungers at a bottom surface of the cartridge locator to facilitate a securing of the fluid sampling cartridge in the installed position based at least in part on one or more biasing forces being applied thereto.

6 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the body holder is made of an at least partially flexible material.

7 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the cartridge locator is made of an at least substantially rigid material.

8 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the slide body comprises one or more alignment rails provided along at least a portion of an exterior side edge of the slide body, the one or more alignment rails being configured to fit within an alignment channel defined by a fluid sampling cartridge engagement dock of the housing of the fluid sampling system to restrict the movement of the fluid sampling cartridge relative to the housing in one or more of a linear direction and a rotational direction.

9 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising one or more haptic elements defined along an exterior surface of the cartridge locator configured to facilitate user interaction with the fluid sampling cartridge.

10 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured to be received within the housing of the fluid sampling system such that, upon being arranged in the installed position, at least a portion of the cartridge locator is accessible via a top side of the housing for user engagement therewith.

11 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the selective adjustment of the fluid sampling cartridge between the locked configuration and the unlocked configuration is defined by a dual-action, multi-directional adjustment of the cartridge locator relative to the body holder that causes the cartridge locator to be moved relative to a locking pin defined within a fluid sampling cartridge engagement dock defined by the housing of the fluid sampling system.

12 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 11 , wherein the cartridge locator defines a locking pin slot configured to receive the locking pin defined by the housing of the fluid sampling system such that, upon the fluid sampling cartridge being arranged in the installed position, the locking pin restricts the fluid sampling cartridge from moving in one or more directions relative to the housing of the fluid sampling system.

13 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 12 , wherein the locking pin slot has a multi-directional configuration defined by a first portion extending from a slot opening in a first direction and a second portion extending from the first direction in a second direction to a slot retention end, wherein the first direction and the second direction are at least substantially different from one another.

14 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the first direction and the second direction are at least substantially perpendicular to one another.

15 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 13 , wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured such that the locking pin defined by the fluid sampling system being moved from the slot opening to the pin retention end requires a linear movement of the cartridge locator relative to the body holder in a first linear direction and a rotational movement of the cartridge locator relative to the body holder in a first rotational direction.

16 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 15 , wherein the fluid sampling cartridge is configured such that the locking pin defined by the fluid sampling system being moved from the slot opening to the pin retention end further requires a second linear movement of the cartridge locator relative to the body holder in a second linear direction opposite the first linear direction.

17 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the slide body is made of an at least substantially transparent material configured to facilitate a fluid imaging operation wherein the fluid sample captured within a fluid channel is imaged by an imaging device disposed within the housing of the fluid sampling system.

18 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising an inlet conduit through which the fluid channel receives the fluid sample and an outlet conduit through which at least a portion of the fluid sample is dispensed from the fluid channel.

19 . The fluid sampling cartridge of claim 1 , further comprising an inlet tube defining a conduit configured to be connected to a peritoneal dialysis (PD) drain bag at a first tube end thereof and the slide body at an opposite second tube end thereof to establish a fluid connection between the PD drain bag and the slide body.

20 . The fluid sampling cartridge

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Utkarsh Debendra
• Hegde Santosh Nagapati
• Yee Daniel
• Lee Seong Eyl

Classifications

• B01L2300/042

  Caps; Plugs · CPC title

• B01L2300/046

  Function or devices integrated in the closure · CPC title

• B01L2300/0822

  Slides · CPC title

• B01L2300/0877

  Flow chambers · CPC title

• B01L3/502715

  characterised by interfacing components, e.g. fluidic, electrical, optical or mechanical interfaces · CPC title