Fluidic valve with selectively switchable storage paths

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9335309-B2
Application number	US-201214411276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2012
Priority date	Jun 26, 2012
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A sample separation apparatus includes a fluidic valve including a first inlet fluidically coupled to one of a first fluid drive and a second fluid drive, and a second inlet fluidically coupled to the other of the first fluid drive and the second fluid drive. The fluidic valve includes at least two different sets of storage paths, wherein each set of storage paths comprises a first storage path. The first storage path of a first set of said at least two sets of storage paths has a first volume, and the first storage path of a second set of said at least two sets of storage paths has a second volume different from the first volume. The fluidic valve is configured for selectively switching one set of the least two sets of storage paths to the first inlet and the second inlet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sample separation apparatus for separating a fluidic sample, the sample separation apparatus comprising:
a first separation unit for separating the fluidic sample;
a first fluid drive configured for generating a fluid flow for conducting the fluidic sample to be separated through the first separation unit;
a second separation unit, arranged downstream of the first separation unit, for further separating the fluidic sample after treatment by the first separation unit;
a second fluid drive configured for generating a fluid flow for conducting the fluidic sample or at least parts thereof, after treatment by the first separation unit, through the second separation unit;
a fluidic valve having a first inlet fluidically coupled to one of the first fluid drive and the second fluid drive;
the fluidic valve having a second inlet fluidically coupled to the other of the first fluid drive and the second fluid drive;
the fluidic valve comprising at least two different sets of storage paths, wherein each set of storage paths comprises a first storage path; and wherein the first storage path of a first set of said at least two sets of storage paths has a first volume and the first storage path of a second set of said at least two sets of storage paths has a second volume different from the first volume;
the fluidic valve being configured for selectively switching one set of said at least two sets of storage paths to the first inlet and the second inlet.

2. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 1 , the fluidic valve further comprising:
a first outlet and a second outlet;
the fluidic valve being selectively switchable into a first state and a second state, optionally comprising at least one of the following features:
in the first state the first inlet is fluidically coupled to the first outlet and the second inlet is fluidically coupled to the second outlet, wherein optionally the first inlet is fluidically coupled to the first outlet via the first storage path of the first set;
in the second state in the first inlet is fluidically coupled to the second outlet and the second inlet is fluidically coupled to the first outlet, wherein optionally the second inlet is fluidically coupled to the first outlet via the first storage path of the first set.

3. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising the following feature:
the fluidic valve being selectively switchable into the first state and into the second state for each of at least one set of said at least two sets of storage paths.

4. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 3 , further comprising the following feature:
for each of at least one first set of said at least two sets of storage paths, the first outlet and the second outlet are both fluidically coupled to the second separation unit;
wherein optionally, the first outlet and the second outlet are both permanently fluidically coupled to the second separation unit.

5. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 1 , the fluidic valve further comprising:
a third outlet, wherein optionally the third outlet is a waste outlet bypassing the second separation unit;
the fluidic valve optionally further comprising at least one of the following groups of features:
for at least one of said sets, the fluidic valve is switchable into a third state in which the second inlet is fluidically coupled, via one of the first storage path and a second storage path of the set, to at least one of the first outlet and the second outlet and in which the first inlet is fluidically coupled to the third outlet, optionally via the other of the first storage path and the second storage path of the set;
for at least one of said sets, the fluidic valve is switchable into a fourth state in which the first inlet is fluidically coupled, via one of the first storage path and the second storage path of the set, to at least one of the first outlet and the second outlet and in which the second inlet is fluidically coupled to the third outlet, optionally via the other of the first storage path and second storage path of the set.

6. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein:
at least one set of said at least two different sets of storage paths comprises a second storage path;
wherein for each of the at least one set, if the set is switched to the first inlet and the second inlet, in the first state the first inlet is fluidically coupled to the first storage path of the set and the second inlet is fluidically coupled to the second storage path of the set; and
wherein for each of the at least one set, if the set is switched to the first inlet and the second inlet, in the second state the first inlet is fluidically coupled to the second storage path of the selected set and the second inlet is fluidically coupled to the first storage path of the selected set.

7. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 6 , further comprising:
the fluidic valve being configured such that of the selected set of storage paths, which is switched to the first inlet and to the second inlet, the first storage path is fluidically coupled to the first outlet and the second storage path is fluidically coupled to the second outlet in both, the first state and the second state.

8. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising at least one of the following features:
a first base fluid path moveable to a first position corresponding to the first state and moveable to a second position corresponding to the second state of the fluidic valve; the first base fluid path fluidically coupling the first inlet and the first outlet in the first state; the first base fluid path fluidically coupling the first inlet and the second outlet in the second state;
a second base fluid path moveable to a first position corresponding to the first state and moveable to a second position corresponding to the second state of the fluidic valve; the second base fluid path fluidically coupling the second inlet and the second outlet in the first state; the second base fluid path fluidically coupling the second inlet and the first outlet in the second state.

9. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the first base fluid path comprises:
a first port region fluidically coupled to the first inlet;
a second port region moveable to be fluidically coupled to the first outlet in the first state and moveable to be fluidically closed in the second state; and
a third port region moveable to be fluidically coupled to the second outlet in the second state and moveable to be closed in the first state,
wherein the first port region, the second port region and the third port region of the first base fluid path are fluidically coupled to each other.

10. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the second base fluid path comprises:
a first port region fluidically coupled to the second inlet;
a second port region moveable to be fluidically coupled to the second outlet in the first state and moveable to be fluidically closed in the second state; and
a third port region moveable to be fluidically coupled to the first outlet in the second state and moveable to be closed in the first state;
wherein the first port region, the second port region and the third port region of the second base fluid path are fluidically coupled to each other.

11. The sample separation apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising at least one of the following features:
at least one of the first base fluid path and the second base fluid path being a groove in a moveable member;
the first base fluid path and the seco

Assignees

• Witt Klaus
• Choikhet Konstantin
• Agilent Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Witt Klaus
• Choikhet Konstantin

Classifications

• B01D15/1871

  placed in series · CPC title

• G01N30/461

  with serial coupling of separation columns · CPC title

• G01N30/6039

  in series · CPC title

• G01N30/20 Primary

  using a sampling valve · CPC title

• G01N2030/208

  with more than one cavity · CPC title