Automated fluid handling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9709591-B2
Application number	US-201615205956-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 8, 2016
Priority date	Jun 9, 2009
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

Automated fluid handling system comprising a housing and two or more fluid handling units arranged as interchangeable modular components with an external fluidics section and an internal non fluidics section, and wherein the housing comprises a liquid handling panel with two or more of component positions for receiving said interchangeable modular components such that the external fluidics section is separated from the non fluidics section by the liquid handling panel.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An automated liquid chromatography system comprising:
a housing;
a master control unit connected to a system bus; and
two or more fluid handling units arranged as interchangeable modular components comprising (i) an external fluidics section, (ii) an internal non-fluidics section including a bus connector for directly connecting the interchangeable modular component with the system bus, and (iii) a panel member arranged to separate the fluidics section from the non-fluidics section,
wherein the housing comprises a liquid handling panel with two or more component receiving positions adapted to receive said interchangeable modular components such that, when inserted, the fluidics section is external to the housing and the non-fluidics section is internal to the housing,
wherein each component receiving position includes a complementary connector for connecting the bus connector of the interchangeable modular component inserted therein to said system bus,
wherein each interchangeable modular component includes a dedicated CPU unit allowing the interchangeable modular component to independently perform operations in response to instructions over the system bus,
wherein the master control unit is arranged to automatically identify interchangeable modular components,
wherein said housing is adapted to accommodate at least one pump, at least one sensor unit and at least two fluid control valves of different configurations, of which at least two of the pump, the sensor unit, and the fluid control valves are interchangeable modular components, and
wherein the system is capable of performing automated liquid chromatography.

2. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the interchangeable modular components are sealed against the liquid handling panel by a sealing member.

3. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein all interchangeable modular components are of same size.

4. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the interchangeable modular components are of two or more sizes.

5. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the at least two fluid control valves are arranged as interchangeable modular components.

6. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said interchangeable modular components further comprises a local cooling unit.

7. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes at least four component receiving positions.

8. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the system includes at least one dummy component arranged in a component receiving position not occupied by any one of said interchangeable modular components.

9. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the system includes at least two fluid pumps.

10. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the component receiving positions are arranged in a two dimensional array.

11. The chromatography system of claim 7 , wherein the at least four component receiving positions are arranged in a two dimensional array.

12. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises a pH electrode that is external to the housing.

13. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the fluidics section of each interchangeable modular component comprises one or more fluid connectors for connecting the fluid handling unit to a liquid chromatography fluid path and wherein all fluid connectors are on a wet side of the panel member.

14. The chromatography system of claim 13 , wherein the liquid chromatography fluid path is reconfigurable by moving the interchangeable modular components freely between the component receiving positions.

15. The chromatography system of claim 1 , wherein the system further comprises at least one expansion housing module arranged to be attached to the housing and for accommodating additional interchangeable modular components at the liquid handling panel.

16. The chromatography system of claim 15 , wherein the master control unit is arranged to automatically detect said at least one expansion housing module and to perform automatic configuration of the system.

17. An automated liquid chromatography system comprising:
a housing;
a master control unit connected to a system bus; and
two or more fluid handling units arranged as interchangeable modular components comprising (i) an external fluidics section, (ii) an internal non-fluidics section including a bus connector for directly connecting the interchangeable modular component with the system bus, and (iii) a panel member arranged to separate the fluidics section from the non-fluidics section,
wherein the housing comprises a liquid handling panel with two or more component receiving positions adapted to receive said interchangeable modular components such that, when inserted, the fluidics section is external to the housing and the non-fluidics section is internal to the housing,
wherein each component receiving position includes a complementary connector for connecting the bus connector of the interchangeable modular component inserted therein to said system bus,
wherein each interchangeable modular component includes a dedicated CPU unit allowing the interchangeable modular component to independently perform operations in response to instructions over the system bus,
wherein the master control unit is arranged to automatically identify interchangeable modular components,

wherein said housing is adapted to accommodate the following units: two double piston pumps, one injection valve for injecting sample onto a column connecting a flow path of the liquid chromatography system, a UV monitor, and a mixer, wherein the double piston pumps, the injection valve, the UV monitor, and the mixer are interchangeable modular components; and
wherein the system is capable of performing automated liquid chromatography.

18. The chromatography system of claim 17 , wherein the double piston pumps are configured to provide a flow rate between 0.001 ml/min and 25 ml/min.

19. The chromatography system of claim 17 , wherein the system further comprises a column valve comprising pressure sensors integrated into inlet and outlet ports of the column valve for measuring the actual pressure over the connected column.

20. The chromatography system of claim 17 , which further comprises a sample inlet valve.

21. The chromatography system of claim 17 , which further comprises a conductivity monitor.

22. The chromatography system of claim 17 , which further comprises at least one expansion housing module arranged to be attached to the housing and for accommodating additional interchangeable modular components at the liquid handling panel.

23. The chromatography system according to claim 22 , wherein the master control unit is arranged to automatically detect said at least one expansion housing module and to perform automatic configuration of the system.

24. The chromatography system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two fluid control valves include an injection valve, a column valve with integrated pressure sensors, a quaternary valve, an inlet valve, a sample inlet valve, a pH valve, an outlet valve or any combination thereof.

25. The chromatography system according to claim 5 , wherein the at least two fluid control valves include an injection valve, a column valve with integrated pressure sensors, a quaternary valve, an inlet valve, a sample inlet valve, a pH valve, an outlet valve or an

Assignees

• Ge Healthcare Bio Sciences Ab

Inventors

• Blomberg Johan
• Lundkvist Mats

Classifications

• Y10T137/85986

  Pumped fluid control · CPC title

• Y10T137/6851

  With casing, support, protector or static constructional installations · CPC title

• Y10T137/6525

  Air heated or cooled [fan, fins, or channels] · CPC title

• G01N2030/8804

  automated systems · CPC title

• G01N30/24

  Automatic injection systems · CPC title