FLUID DISPENSER

• US 20100015009A1
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Published: 01/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMI Vision Ltd. (IMI PLC)
• Original Assignee: IMI Vision Ltd. (IMI PLC)
• Inventors: Bramley, Hugh Christopher, Jervis, Mark, Wallace, Mark Andrew
• Granted Patent: US 8,163,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/99
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2200/0684 Venting, avoiding backpressure, avoid gas bubbles
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/14 Means for pressure control
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2400/0439 ultrasonic vibrations, vibrating piezo elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/0268 using pulse dispensing or spraying, eg. inkjet type, piezo actuated ejection of droplets from capillaries
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 11/088 using a deformable conduit-like element
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1002 Reagent dispensers

Abstract

A cartridge (10) for dispensing a reagent contained in a reagent reservoir (32). The reservoir (32) is in fluid communication with a deformable dispense tube (26) that is a least partially compressible, in use, to dispense a volume of reagent from the tube (26). The reservoir (32) defines an enclosed gas space (46) above the reagent, and the cartridge (10) includes a gas vent (40) that, in use, admits gas to the gas space (46) in response to dispense of reagent from the tube (26) that serves to control the reservoir pressure as the reservoir (32) is depleted by subsequent dispensing of reagent. A dispenser employing the cartridge (10) and a method of dispensing a volume of reagent are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A reagent dispense device comprising,

a reagent reservoir in fluid communication with a deformable dispense tube,

the deformable dispense tube being at least partially compressible, in use, between a hammer and an anvil, so as to dispense a volume of reagent from the tube, wherein, in use, the reservoir defines an enclosed gas space above the reagent, and the device including a gas vent for, in use, admitting gas to the gas space in response to a dispense of reagent from the tube,

the passage of gas into the gas space serving to control the reservoir pressure as the reservoir is depleted by subsequent dispensing of reagent.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the vent has an outlet arranged adjacent a base of the reservoir.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the outlet defines at least in part a saw tooth configuration in order to minimise surface tension effects at the outlet.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the outlet is arranged at an angle to an elongate axis of the vent to as to provide an elliptical outlet.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the vent has an inlet arranged at a top surface of the reservoir.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the vent is in the form of a tube.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the reservoir defines multiple chambers which are successively drained of reagent so as to minimise the effective gas space above the reagent.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the chambers are separated by a series of upstanding walls which extend from an upper wall of the reservoir to a position adjacent a base of the reservoir.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the upstanding walls define a series of conduits between the compartments, each of the conduits being arranged adjacent the reservoir base.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein the chambers are drained of reagent successively.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the device includes a shroud which partially surrounds the dispense tube so as to protect the tube from damage.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the shroud has a portion adjacent to, but not touching, an outlet of the tube.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the shroud defines an aperture shaped to accept the anvil in order to allow the anvil access to the tube in order to dispense the reagent.

14. The device of claim 1 wherein the volume of reagent dispensed from the dispense tube for each strike of a hammer is between twenty (20) and two hundred (200) nanolitres.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is provided with a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip containing data including one or more of reagent type, shelf life, date of manufacture, remaining reagent volume, and other such information as may be required.

16. An apparatus for dispensing a volume of reagent from the dispense device of claim 1, the apparatus comprising

a hammer and a co-operating anvil, both mounted in a housing suitable for receiving the dispense device,

the hammer, in use, being arranged to strike the dispense tube, thereby at least partially compressing the tube against the anvil so as to dispense a volume of reagent from the tube,

wherein the hammer is displaced by a first linear actuator mounted at a fixed position in housing, and

the anvil is moveable by a second linear actuator so as to calibrate the position of the anvil relative to the hammer.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the housing is defined by a hammer body and an anvil body.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein an inner face of the hammer body is configured to receive the shroud, thereby calibrating an actuated position of the hammer to the position of the tube.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein an operation position of the anvil is calibrated to the actuated position of the hammer.

20. The apparatus of any one of claims 16 wherein the first linear actuator is a Piezo stack.

21. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the second linear actuator is a stepper motor.

22. A method of dispensing a volume of fluid, including the steps of:

providing a dispensing apparatus and a controller for controlling the dispense apparatus,

inserting the dispense device into the housing,

driving the hammer to its actuated position to align the hammer against the tube,

then driving the anvil towards the hammer until the controller detects contact therebetween,

then retracting the anvil a pre-determined distance so as to calibrate the position of the anvil to the actuated position of the hammer,

then actuating the hammer to strike the tube so as to dispense a volume of fluid.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the method includes the additional steps of retracting the hammer from the tube.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the method includes the further additional step of cycling the hammer to repeatedly dispense a series of discreet volumes of reagent from the tube.