Apparatus for pumping and directing fluids for hematology testing
First Claim
1. An apparatus for hematology testing, comprising:
- a sensing unit defining a counting orifice for the flow of a blood sample through the sensing unit to analyze the blood sample, the counting orifice defining an inlet side and an outlet side, and the sensing unit including a first inlet port and a second inlet port, the first and second inlet ports each being fluidly coupled to and located on the inlet side of the counting orifice; and
means for pumping including at least two syringes, a first syringe being coupled by a sample line to the first inlet port of the sensing unit and injecting a blood sample from the inlet side through the counting orifice, and a second syringe being located upstream of the second inlet port of the sensing unit and coupled by a sheath line to the second inlet port and simultaneously injecting a sheath of fluid through the sheath line and second inlet port and surrounding the sample stream on the inlet side of the counting orifice.
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Abstract
An apparatus for hematology testing, which has a sensing unit defining a counting orifice for the flow of a blood sample through the counting orifice to analyze the blood sample, and a pump unit having three syringes. A first syringe is coupled in fluid communication with the sensing unit on the inlet side of the counting orifice for injecting a stream of blood sample through the counting orifice. A second syringe is coupled in fluid communication with the sensing chamber on the inlet side of the counting orifice for simultaneously injecting a sheath of fluid surrounding the sample stream on the inlet side of the counting orifice. And a third syringe is coupled to the sensing chamber on the outlet side of the counting orifice for aspirating a sheath of fluid from the sensing chamber surrounding the sample stream on the outlet side of the counting orifice.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An apparatus for hematology testing, comprising:
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a sensing unit defining a counting orifice for the flow of a blood sample through the sensing unit to analyze the blood sample, the counting orifice defining an inlet side and an outlet side, and the sensing unit including a first inlet port and a second inlet port, the first and second inlet ports each being fluidly coupled to and located on the inlet side of the counting orifice; and means for pumping including at least two syringes, a first syringe being coupled by a sample line to the first inlet port of the sensing unit and injecting a blood sample from the inlet side through the counting orifice, and a second syringe being located upstream of the second inlet port of the sensing unit and coupled by a sheath line to the second inlet port and simultaneously injecting a sheath of fluid through the sheath line and second inlet port and surrounding the sample stream on the inlet side of the counting orifice. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus for hematology analysis, comprising:
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a sensing unit defining an orifice for receiving a sample stream of blood cells and a sheath of diluent surrounding the sample stream injected into the sensing unit, and including a first inlet port and a second inlet port, each being located on and fluidly coupled to the inlet side of the counting orifice, and a third port fluidly coupled with the outlet side of the counting orifice; and three positive-displacement pumps, a first pump coupled by a sample line to the first inlet port on the inlet side of the orifice and injecting the sample stream into the sensing unit on the inlet side of the orifice, a second pump located upstream from the second inlet port and coupled by a sheath line to the second inlet port on the inlet side of the orifice and injecting a first sheath of diluent through the sheath line and second inlet port and surrounding the sample stream on the inlet side of the orifice, and a third pump coupled with the third port on the outlet side of the orifice which is capable of injecting or aspirating a second sheath of diluent at the outlet side of the orifice surrounding the sample stream exiting the orifice. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An apparatus for particle analysis, comprising:
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a sensing unit defining a counting orifice, the counting orifice defining an inlet side and an outlet side for receiving sample fluid through the counting orifice and analyzing particles within the sample fluid; first means for injecting a stream of sample fluid through the inlet side of the counting orifice; and second means for injecting a sheath of fluid into the sensing unit on the inlet side of the counting orifice and surrounding the sample fluid injected through the inlet side of the counting orifice, the second means being located upstream from the inlet side of the counting orifice. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An apparatus for particle analysis of a sample stream surrounded by a sheath of fluid, comprising a sensing unit defining a counting orifice;
- and an inlet chamber coupled in fluid communication with the counting orifice;
an outlet chamber coupled in fluid communication with the opposite side of the counting orifice relative to the inlet chamber;
means for injecting a substantially uniform sample stream through a sheath of fluid, including a first inlet port coupled in fluid communication with the counting orifice and oriented substantially coaxial with the counting orifice for injecting a sample stream of fluid through the center of the counting orifice; and
means for preventing intermixing of the sample stream and sheath of fluid including a second inlet port coupled in fluid communication with the inlet chamber and oriented substantially tangential to a contiguous surface defining the inlet chamber for injecting a stream of sheath fluid into the inlet chamber substantially tangential to the surface defining the inlet chamber and forming the sheath of fluid surrounding the sample stream injected through the counting orifice. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
- and an inlet chamber coupled in fluid communication with the counting orifice;
Specification