Pipetting station apparatus

• US 6,325,114 B1
• Filed: 02/01/2000
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: VELOCITY11
• Original Assignee: Incyte Corporation
• Inventors: Rollins, Eric, Bevirt, JoeBen, Brinton, Gabriel Noah
• Primary Examiner(s): JACYNA, J CASIMER
• Application Number:
  US09/495,106
• Time in Patent Office: 672 Days
• Field of Search: 141/1, 141/130, 422/65, 422/67, 422/100, 738/641.1, 738/641.6, 738/641.7, 738/642.4, 738/642.5
• US Class Current: 141/130
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2035/042 moved independently, e.g. by fork manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/028 having reaction cells in the form of microtitration plates
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 35/1074 arranged in a two-dimensional array

Abstract

A pipette station is described for use in the field of sample analysis. The pipette station increases the rate and ease with which a liquid may be manipulated into and out of sample carriers such as microwell plates. The pipette station includes shafts in the X, Y, and Z direction which possess ball screws which are integrated with motor shafts thus improving accuracy and eliminating the need for a coupling apparatus thereby reducing the space required for the pipette station. The pipette station may be interfaced with an automated laboratory system.

Claims

1. A pipetting station for transferring liquid from one container to another to perform a protocol, comprising:

a back plate having at least one horizontal slot and at least one vertical slot;

at least one substantially horizontally movable shelf,

said shelf being movably attached to said back plate in a cantilever fashion;

said shelf being functionally associated with said horizontal slot;

said shelf adapted to receive a container to hold said liquid;

a shelf driving means functionally associated with said shelf to move

said shelf in a horizontal direction along said horizontal slot;

an X-Y head being movably associated with said at least one vertical slot in said back plate;

a modular pipette head attached to said X-Y head functionally adapted to aspirate and dispense liquid into and out of said container;

a Z-axis driving means functionally associated with said backplate and said X-Y head to move said X-Y head in a vertical direction; and

a control system being functionally associated with said shelf driving means to selectively engage said shelf driving means;

the control system selectively engaging said Z-axis driving means to move said X-Y head in a vertical direction,

wherein said control system controls said shelf and said X-Y head to cooperatively move to perform said protocol.

2. The pipetting station of claim 1 in which the Z-axis driving means further comprises:

a Z-drive ball screw having a first end and a second end;

a brake attached to said first end of the Z-drive ball screw;

a stator integrally attached to said back plate and functionally adapted to receive said second end of said Z-drive ball screw;

an encoder integrally attached to said second end of the Z-drive ball screw; and

a motor to rotate the Z-drive ball screw within the stator relative to the back plate.

3. The pipetting station of claim 1 in which the shelf driving means is a pneumatic actuator.

4. The pipetting station of claim 3 further comprising:

a cylinder piston having a first end and a second end,

said first end connect to said shelf,

said second end connected to said back plate;

at least one O-ring surrounding said cylinder piston;

at least one first end-of-travel spring being functionally associated with each said shelf; and

at least one second end-of-travel spring being functionally associated with said second end of said cylinder piston,

said end-of-travel springs dampening the horizontal movement of said shelf as

said shelf approaches an end of said horizontal slot,

said O-rings providing damping to horizontal movement of said shelf along a length of cylinder piston.

5. The pipetting station of claim 1 in which the pipette head further comprises at least one pipette tip.

6. The pipetting station of claim 5 in which the X-Y head further comprises:

an X-axis driver to move said pipette head linearly in an X direction parallel to said horizontal slot, to perform the pipetting; and

a Y-axis driver to move said pipette head linearly in a Y direction perpendicular to said X direction, to perform the pipetting function,

wherein the X-axis driver and the Y-axis driver move said pipette tip to the container on said shelf,

said Z-axis driving means moving said pipette tip into and out of said container.

7. The pipetting station of claim 6 in which said X-axis driver further comprises:

an X-drive ball screw having an end;

a motor housing integrally formed with said X-Y head,

said motor housing adapted to receive the first end of said X-drive ball screw; and

a servo motor to rotate said X-drive ball screw within said motor housing,

wherein when X-drive ball screw rotates, said pipette head is moved in the X direction.

8. The pipetting station of claim 7 in which said Y-axis driver further comprises:

a Y-drive ball screw having an end;

a motor housing integrally formed with said X-Y head,

said motor housing adapted to receive the first end of said Y-drive ball screw; and

a servo motor to rotate said Y-drive ball screw within said motor housing,

wherein when Y-drive ball screw rotates, said pipette head is moved in the Y direction.

9. The pipetting station of claim 1 wherein the controller is a personal computer.

10. The pipetting station of claim 1 in which an identification system is mounted on said X-Y head to read an identification tag attached to the container.

11. The pipetting station of claim 10 in which an identification system is a barcode reader and the identification tag is a barcode.

12. A pipetting station for transferring liquid from one container to another to perform a protocol, comprising:

a back plate having four horizontal slots and two vertical slots;

eight horizontally movable shelves,

each said shelf being movably associated to said back plate in a cantilever fashion;

two of said shelves being functionally associated with each horizontal slot;

said shelves adapted to receive a microwell plate to hold said liquid;

a pneumatic shelf driving means functionally associated with each of said shelves to selectively move each said shelf in a horizontal direction along the horizontal slot,

eight cylinder pistons, each cylinder having a first end and a second end,

each said first end of said cylinder piston being connected to a shelf and each said second end of said cylinder piston being connected to the backplate,

eight pairs of O-rings, each said pair of O-rings surrounding said cylinder piston;

eight first end-of-travel springs, each first end-of-travel spring being functionally associated with each shelf;

eight end-of-travel springs, each being functionally associated with each said second end of said cylinder piston,

said end-of-travel springs dampening the horizontal movement of said shelf as

said shelf travels reaches an extent of horizontal motion,

said O-rings providing damping of the horizontal movement of said shelf along a length of said cylinder piston;

an X-Y head being movably attached to said the vertical slots in said back plate;

a modular pipette head having 96 pipette tips, being attached to said X-Y head, for aspirating and dispensing liquid into and out of said container;

said X-Y head having an X-drive ball screw having an end, to move said pipette head linearly in an X direction parallel to said horizontal slots,

said X-Y head having a Y-drive ball screw having an end to move said pipette head linearly in a Y direction perpendicular to said X direction;

a motor housing integrally formed with said X-Y head,

said motor housing adapted to receive the end of said X-drive ball screw;

a first servo motor to rotate said X-drive ball screw within said motor housing,

wherein when X-drive ball screw rotates, said pipette head is moved in the X direction,

wherein the X-axis drive ball screw and the Y-axis drive ball screw move said pipette tips into and out of said container;

a motor housing integrally formed with said X-Y head,

said motor housing adapted to receive the end of said Y-drive ball screw;

a second servo motor to rotate said Y-drive ball screw within said motor housing,

wherein when Y-drive ball screw rotates, said pipette head is moved in the Y direction;

a barcode reader mounted on said X-Y head to scan a barcode attached to the container;

a Z-drive ball screw having a first end and a second end and being functionally associated with said back plate and said X-Y head to move said X-Y head in a vertical direction;

a brake attached to said first end of the Z-drive ball screw;

a stator housing integrally attached to said back plate and functionally adapted to receive said second end of said Z-drive ball screw;

an encoder integrally attached to said second end of the Z-drive ball screw;

a motor to rotate the Z-drive ball screw within the stator relative to the back plate, said motor being integral with said back plate; and

a personal computer being functionally associated with said pneumatic shelf driving means to selectively engage said pneumatic shelf driving means;

the computer selectively engaging said Z-axis drive ball screw to move said X-Y head in the vertical direction,

wherein said computer controls said shelves and said X-Y head to cooperatively move to perform said protocol.

13. A method of performing a pipetting operation of a liquid in a biotechnological protocol comprising the steps of:

providing a pipetting station having a back plate having

at least one horizontal slot and at least one vertical slot,

at least one substantially horizontally movable shelf,

said shelf being movably attached to said back plate in a cantilever fashion,

said shelf being functionally associated with said horizontal slot,

said shelf adapted to receive a container having cavities to hold said liquid,

a shelf driving means functionally associated with said shelf to move

said shelf in a horizontal direction alone said horizontal slot,

said shelf having a home position and a center position along the horizontal slot,

an X-Y head being movably attached to said at least one vertical slot in said back plate,

a modular pipette head attached to said X-Y head functionally adapted to aspirate and dispense liquid into and out of said container,

a Z-axis driving means functionally associated with said back plate and said X-Y head to move said X-Y head in a vertical direction, and

a control system being functionally associated with said shelf driving means to selectively engage said shelf driving means,

the control system selectively engaging said Z-axis driving means to move said X-Y head in a vertical direction,

wherein said control system controls said shelf and said X-Y head to cooperatively move to perform said protocol;

moving the shelf to a center location directly under said pipetting head;

lowering said pipetting head into said container;

aspirating the liquid into said container;

raising said pipetting head; and

returning the shelf to its home position.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

repeating the step of aspirating of said liquid into all of said cavities in said container.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

providing a barcode reader mounted on the X-Y head,

said container having a barcode; and

scanning said barcode with the barcode reader.

16. A method for transferring liquid by a robotic translation system from a first container holding a first volume of liquid to a second container holding a second volume of liquid comprising:

providing a pipetting station having

a back plate having at least one horizontal slot and at least one vertical slot,

at least one substantially horizontally movable shelf,

said shelf being movably attached to said back plate in a cantilever fashion,

said shelf being functionally associated with said horizontal slot,

said shelf adapted to receive a container to hold said liquid,

a shelf driving means functionally associated with said shelf to move

said shelf in a horizontal direction along said horizontal slot,

an X-Y head being movably attached to said at least one vertical slot in said back plate,

a modular pipette head attached to said X-Y head functionally adapted to aspirate and dispense liquid into and out of said container,

a Z-axis driving means functionally associated with said back plate and

said X-Y head to move said X-Y head in a vertical direction, and

a control system being functionally associated with said shelf driving means to selectively engage said shelf driving means,

the control system selectively engaging said Z-axis driving means to move said X-Y head in a vertical direction,

wherein said control system controls said shelf and said X-Y head to cooperatively move to perform said protocol; and

operating the control to manipulate the shelves and the pipetting head to transfer liquid from one container on a shelf to another container on a shelf.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

providing a barcode reader mounted on the X-Y head,

said container having a barcode; and

scanning said barcode with the barcode reader.

18. A presentation system for use with pipetting station having a first horizontal slot and a second horizontal slot parallel and below the first horizontal slot, comprising:

a first substantially horizontally movable shelf movably attached to the first horizontal slot;

a second substantially horizontally movable shelf movably attached to the second horizontal slot,

said second shelf being located vertically lower than said first shelf,

said first and second shelves being, movably attached to said first and second slots in a cantilever fashion;

said shelves adapted to receive a container to hold said liquid; and

a shelf driving means functionally associated with said first shelf to move said first shelf in a horizontal direction along said horizontal slot,

wherein when the pipetting station is pipetting the container in the first shelf, the container in the second shelf is accessible for a simultaneous operation.

19. The presentation system of claim 18 wherein said shelf driving means are pneumatics.

20. A pipetting station for transferring liquid from one container to another to perform a protocol, comprising:

a back plate;

a substantially horizontally movable shelf,

said shelf being movably attached to the back plate,

said shelf adapted to receive a container to hold said liquid;

a shelf driving means functionally associated with the shelf to move the shelf in a horizontal direction;

an X-Y head being movably associated with the back plate, the X-Y head having at least one pipette functionally adapted to aspirate and dispense liquid into and out of said container;

a Z-axis driving means functionally associated with said backplate and said X-Y head to move the X-Y head in a vertical direction; and

a control system being functionally associated with said shelf driving means to selectively engage the shelf driving means, the control system selectively engaging said Z-axis driving means to move the X-Y head in a vertical direction, the control system selectively controlling the shelf and the X-Y head to cooperatively move to perform said protocol.

21. The pipetting station of claim 20 in which the back plate further comprises at least one horizontal slot, the shelf being functionally associated with the horizontal slot, the shelf being movably attached to the back plate in a cantilever fashion.

22. The pipetting station of claim 21 in which the back plate further comprises a vertical slot, the X-Y head being movably associated with the vertical slot in the back plate.