Liquid metering and transfer valve assembly

• US 5,158,751 A
• Filed: 12/13/1990
• Issued: 10/27/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Coulter International Corp.
• Original Assignee: Coulter Corporation (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Vargas, Santos E., del Valle, Roberto, Cabrera, Pedro P.
• Primary Examiner(s): KRYZA, LYNN M
• Application Number:
  US07/626,936
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 422/103, 422/100, 73/863.73, 73/864.12, 73/864.84, 73/864.21, 251/355
• US Class Current: 422/82
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/10 Investigating individual particles
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1097 characterised by the valves valves in general F16K

Abstract

A liquid metering and transfer valve assembly having the capability of metering, isolating, transfering and delivering precise microliter volume aliquots of a blood sample, from a source thereof, to mixing and testing chambers of an electronic blood analysis system for analysis, and further, carrying a loop for metering and isolating an additional sample aliquot within the valve assembly in the loop, a first dedicated passageway for introducing a first fluid to the loop to force the additional aliquot from its isolated location to a first dedicated portion of the valve assembly displaced from the loop and a second dedicated portion of the valve assembly to establish a flow path for introducing a lysing reagent to the first dedicated portion to force the additional aliquot from its displaced disposition, as a lyse reagent/aliquot mixture, to a selected additional mixing and testing chamber exterior of the valve assembly without contaminating any interior flow path traversed by a blood sample and associated diluent thereof within the valve assembly.

Claims

1. In a liquid sampling, metering, isolating and delivery valve assembly for providing at least a pair of precise sample volumes from a single sample source, the valve assembly including a stator, a rotor and a loading element arranged coaxially for operation between a loading condition and a delivery condition, means carried by the rotor for defining a first precise volume isolating chamber, means carried by the stator for defining a second precise volume, isolating chamber, the first and second isolating chambers being in series communication during the loading condition for defining a continuous body of sample from the single sample source along a flow path defined within the valve assembly, the rotor being operable to segment the continuous sample body to form and isolate precise aliquot volumes from the continuous sample body within the first and second isolating chambers respectively, cooperating counterpart passageways formed in each of the rotor, stator and loading element for establishing interconnection of said isolating chambers and constructed and arranged for receiving and directing predetermined volumes of diluent to the isolated aliquot volumes for delivery of each respectively with a diluent associated therewith as precise dilutions to respective mixing and testing chambers exterior to the valve assembly, the first isolating chamber being an axially parallel through-passageway and the second isolating chamber being a first external hollow loop secured to the stator;

the improvement comprising;

means carried by the rotor defining a third precise volume isolating chamber arrangeable in series communication with the first and second isolating chambers during the loading condition of the valve assembly so as to form a continuing portion of the continuous sample body and, the operation of the rotor also isolating a third precise aliquot volume within said third isolating chamber simultaneously with the isolation of the first and second aliquot volumes within the first and second isolating chambers, an axially parallel, dedicated through-passageway formed in the stator, a dedicated lyse reagent entry passageway carried by the rotor and a gaseous fluid entry passageway carried by the stator and arranged to be placed in communication with said third isolating chamber simultaneously with the isolation of the first and second sample aliquot volumes, said gaseous fluid entry passageway arranged to receive and direct gaseous fluid to said third isolating chamber to position the third sample aliquot volume contained therein via said dedicated passageway to a neutral location displaced from the rotor when the valve assembly is placed in the delivery condition for the delivery of the first and second sample aliquot volumes to the first and second mixing and testing locations, the rotor being returnable to the loading condition from the delivery condition, said lysing reagent entry passageway being arrangeable in communication with said dedicated passageway to receive and deliver lysing reagent to and through said dedicated passagway and the neutral location when the valve assembly is returned to the loading condition, for delivering the third isolated sample aliquot volume along with the lysing reagent from the dedicated passageway and neutral location to a third mixing and testing chamber exterior to the valve assembly without contaminating with lysing reagent any interior flow path within the valve assembly which is traversed by the sample.

2. The valve assembly as claimed in claim 1 and, means for introducing rinse medium to the sample flow path for backwashing said flow path simultaneously with delivery of the lysing reagent and third sample aliquot volume to the third mixing and testing chamber.

3. The valve assembly according to claim 1 in which said third isolating chamber comprises a second external hollow loop carried by the rotor.

4. The valve assembly according to claim 1 in which the loading element carries sample inlet means arranged for coupling to the first isolating chamber during the loading condition and the cooperating counterpart passageway means carried by the loading element is capable of leading diluent to the first isolating chamber during the delivery condition of said valve assembly.

5. In a liquid rotary metering and transfer valve assembly for providing plural precise sample volumes from a single liquid sample source and delivering each of the precise sample volumes with respective predetermined volumes of diluent as dilutions to respective exterior mixing and testing chambers, the valve assembly including a pair of outer valve elements and a rotor element sandwiched therebetween in face to face frictional sealed engagement, one of the outer valve elements being a stator and the other of the outer valve elements being a loading valve element, first and second measuring portions carried by the stator and rotor and in series communication when the valve assembly is disposed in loading condition, the rotor being translatable to isolate the precise sample volumes within the first and second measuring portions when the valve assembly is disposed in the delivery condition, complementary cooperating counterpart passageway means carried by the rotor, the stator and the loading element for interconnecting the first and second measuring portions and for receiving and delivering predetermined volumes of diluent to the isolated precise sample volumes respectively within the first and second measuring portions for delivering the sample volumes and diluent as dilutions to the respective exterior mixing and testing chambers and the rotor being arranged for reverse translation to return the valve assembly to the loading condition subsequent to delivery of the dilutions;

the improvement comprising;

the valve assembly having an additional measuring portion for measuring and isolating an additional precise sample volume within the valve assembly, said additional measuring portion being in series communication with the first and second measuring portions during the loading condition of the valve assembly, the valve assembly having inert fluid entry means enabling introduction of an inert fluid to said additional measuring portion for the displacement of said additional sample volume to a neutral location displaced from the isolated condition thereof, the valve assembly having lysing reagent inlet means for introducing a predetermined volume of lysing reagent from a source thereof to said displaced additional sample volume at the neutral displaced location thereof to drive both the additional sample volume along with the lysing reagent to an additional mixing and testing chamber exterior to the valve assembly, the valve assembly being free of contamination by the lysing reagent along the interior liquid sample and diluent flow paths therein.

6. The valve assembly according to claim 5 in which the stator has a dedicated through-passageway for receiving the additional sample volume from said additional measuring portion during the delivery condition of the valve assembly, said lysing reagent inlet means being arranged to direct the lysing reagent to said displaced sample volume via said dedicated through-passageway subsequent to return translation of the valve assembly to the loading condition.

7. The valve assembly according to claim 6 in which said neutral location includes a corrosion resistant conduit secured to the stator at said dedicated through-passageway and in communication therewith for receiving the additional sample volume and the lysing reagent.

8. The valve assembly according to claim 7 comprising an inert fluid source including a pressurized air pump for introducing the inert fluid to said inert fluid entry means ends.

9. The valve assembly according to claim 7 in which said lysing reagent is introduced to the additional sample volume simultaneously with introduction of backwash to said additional measuring portion and first and second measuring portions subsequent to return of said valve assembly to the loading condition from the delivery condition.

10. The valve assembly according to any one of claims 5, 6 or 7 in which said additional measuring portion comprises an external loop secured to the rotor, said lyse reagent inlet means comprising an inlet passageway formed in the rotor and said inert fluid entry means comprises an inlet carried by the stator.

11. In a liquid metering and transfer valve assembly for providing at least a pair of isolated precise liquid samples from a single liquid sample source and constructed and arranged for delivering each along with predetermined volumes of diluent to exterior mixing and testing chambers respectively, said valve assembly including at least one stator element, a loading element and a rotor element sandwiched therebetween in aligned frictional sealed face to face engagement, first and second measuring portions carried by the one stator and the rotor respectively, sample inlet means carried by the loading element arranged to establish a continuous series flow path for liquid sample during a loading mode of said valve assembly, the rotor arranged to be translated angularly to an isolating mode during which the flow path is segmented to isolate precise volumes of sample from the flow path, the first measuring portion formed as an axially parallel through-passageway carried by the rotor and the second measuring portion formed as a first external hollow loop secured to the one stator, plural cooperating complementary counterpart passageways formed in the rotor, the stator and the loading element for introducing predetermined volumes of diluent to the first and second measuring portions for delivering the at least a pair of precise volumes of sample and associated diluent as dilutions to the respective exterior mixing and testing chambers and interconnecting the first and second measuring portions;

the improvement comprising;

means carried by said valve assembly to measure and isolate an additional precise sample volume therewithin, means secured to the rotor for introducing lysing reagent from a source thereof to said additional precise sample volume via the valve assembly without contaminating the interior flow paths for sample and diluent within said valve assembly, the additional sample volume and the lysing agent being deliverable as a mixture from said valve assembly to an additional exterior mixing and testing chamber.

12. The valve assembly according to claim 11 in which said measuring and isolating means comprise a second external hollow loop carried by the rotor and arranged for placement in series communication with the first and second measuring portions during the loading condition of the valve assembly and said means for introducing lysing reagent comprise a lyse reagent inlet passageway carried by the rotor, a dedicated axially parallel through-passageway formed in the one stator and arranged to be disposed in communicating relationship with said second external hollow loop during the delivery condition of the valve assembly, inert fluid entry passageway means formed in one stator and arranged coupled to an inert fluid source, said inert fluid entry passageway means arranged to introduce inert fluid to said second external hollow loop from the inert fluid source for displacing the additional sample volume from said second external hollow loop to a location displaced from the rotor during the delivery condition of said valve assembly, said dedicated passageway arranged to receive the lysing reagent to drive the additional sample volume with the lysing reagent as a mixture to said additional mixing and testing chamber from the displaced location, the rotor being reverse rotatable to return all the first and second measuring portions and measuring and isolating means to a series communicating condition and means directing backwash fluid from a source thereof to the series communicating measuring portions and measuring and isolating means and sample inlet means simultaneously with the driving of said lysing reagent to said additional sample volume.

13. The valve assembly according to claim 12 in which said inert fluid source is arranged to direct an additional pulse of inert fluid to said inert fluid entry passageway means just prior to reverse translation of the rotor to place said valve assembly in the loading condition.

14. In a liquid metering and transfer valve assembly for providing at least a pair of isolated precise liquid sample aliquots from a single liquid sample source and delivering the at least a pair of aliquots to respective exterior locations, the assembly including a stator and a rotor arranged axially aligned in face to face frictional sealed engagement, the rotor being angularly translatable between a loading condition of the valve assembly and a delivery condition of the valve assembly, the rotor carrying at least first and second measuring portions, the stator carrying respective cooperating counterpart passageways, said at least first and second measuring portions being in series communication during the loading condition and liquid sample inlet means for introducing liquid sample to said at least first and second measuring portions during said loading condition, said rotor being angularly translatable to dispose the valve assembly in the delivery condition isolating the at least a pair of liquid sample aliquots in the at least first and second measuring portions respectively and means for introducing at least a predetermined volume of diluent from a source thereof to the first measuring portion for driving the aliquot therein to a first exterior location along with said predetermined volume of diluent during the delivery condition;

the improvement comprising, means for introducing a second liquid to the valve assembly without exposing the interior sample flow paths thereof thereto, the second liquid being of the type which is not intended to be exposed to the sample flow paths and other flow paths therein associated with the liquid sample, said means for introducing a second liquid comprising a first dedicated passageway formed in the stator and first and second dedicated entry passageways formed in the rotor, said second dedicated entry passageway arranged to be placed in communication with said first dedicated passageway during the loading condition, means for introducing a gaseous fluid from a source thereof to said first dedicated entry passageway during the delivery condition for driving the aliquot content of the second measuring portion to a displaced location at least within the first dedicated passageway and isolated from said rotor and means for introducing a second liquid to said second dedicated entry passageway with the return of the rotor to the loading condition for driving the displaced aliquot to a second exterior location, the flow path for the second liquid being independent of any internal flow paths followed by the liquid sample and associated diluent.

15. In a liquid metering and transfer valve assembly having the capability of metering, isolating, transferring and delivering precise volume aliquots of a whole blood sample from a source thereof to mixing and testing chambers of a blood analysis system;

the improvement comprising;

said valve assembly having a precise volume hollow loop for metering and isolating an additional sample aliquot therewithin, first and second dedicated portions, each displaced from said loop, and a first dedicated passageway, said first dedicated passageway arranged to introduce a first inert fluid from a source thereof to said loop to force said additional sample aliquot from an isolated condition to said first dedicated portion, said first and second dedicated portions defining a flow path for introducing lysing reagent to the first dedicated portion to force said additional sample aliquot from a displaced location, as a lysing reagent/aliquot mixture, to a selected additional mixing and testing chamber exterior to said valve assembly without contaminating any interior flow path of said valve assembly which is traversed by a blood sample and associated diluent therewith within said valve assembly.