Patent CA1152353A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
CA1152353A
Expired / Lapsed
CA
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Multicuvette rotor for analyser
Assignee: F Hoffmann La Roche AG
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Filing: 1981-04-28
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Granted: 1983-08-23
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Expires: 2001-04-28
Abstract
Abstract Abstract of the Disclosure The analytical rotor comprises a central distribution chamber (3), the periphery of which communicates with a number of portioning cavities (6) each having an inlet (8) and an outlet connected to an analytical cell (2) by a transfer passage (9). The inlets (8) of the portioning cavities (6) are also connected to overflow reservoirs (14,17, 44) by a communication passage comprising a wall (10, 45), and an annular collector (12, 43). The transfer passages (9) are capillary ducts adapted to form a stable meniscus of liquid at the outlets of passa-ges (9) and prevent air coming out of cells (2) until a predetermined differential pressure is applied to the liquid. This enables the excess liquid to be discharged into the overflow reservoirs at a first rotor speed, whe-reas the portions of liquid can subsequently be trans-ferred to the cells at a second and higher speed. Fig. 1
Inventors
- 👤 Georges Revillet
- 👤 Michel Thevoz
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
CA
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-02 17:42
CPC Classifications
B; B04; B04B; B04B5/00; B04B5/04; B04B5/0407; G; G01; G01N; G01N21/00; G01N21/01; G01N21/03; G01N21/07
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim
120 words
An analytical rotor comprising a set of analytical cells disposed at its periphery, a central distribution chamber, portioning cavities corresponding to the respective cells and disposed between the cells and the chamber periphery, the cavities each having an inlet connected to the chamber and an outlet connected to one of the cells by a transfer passage, and at least one overflow reservoir connected to the in-lets of the cavities by at least one communi-cation passage, characterized in that li-quid-retaining means are associated with the transfer pas-sage to prevent liquid flowing into the analytical cells until a centrifugal force applied to the liquid exceeds a threshold value which is made higher than the hydraulic resistance to flow through the communication pas-sage.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
120 words
An analytical rotor comprising a set of analytical cells disposed at its periphery, a central distribution chamber, portioning cavities corresponding to the respective cells and disposed between the cells and the chamber periphery, the cavities each having an inlet connected to the chamber and an outlet connected to one of the cells by a transfer passage, and at least one overflow reservoir connected to the in-lets of the cavities by at least one communi-cation passage, characterized in that li-quid-retaining means are associated with the transfer pas-sage to prevent liquid flowing into the analytical cells until a centrifugal force applied to the liquid exceeds a threshold value which is made higher than the hydraulic resistance to flow through the communication pas-sage.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
126 words
Use of the analytical rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that a volume of liquid greater than the total volume of the portioning cavities is introduced into the distribution chamber, the rotor is driven at a first speed to exert on the liquid a centrifugal force greater than the aforementioned hydraulic resistance to flow through the communication passage but smaller than the threshold value, in order to fill the portioning cavities and dis-charge the surplus liquid into the overflow reservoir, and the rotor speed is changed to a second speed greater than the first, in order to exert on the liquid a centri-fugal force greater than the threshold value, so as to trans-fer the portions contained in the portioning cavities to the respective analytical cells.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
An analytical rotor according to claim 1, charac-terized in that the portioning cavities are separated from one another by edges or ridges disposed on a common circle concentric with the axis of rotation of the rotor.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
63 words
A rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that the portioning cavities alternate with overflow re-servoirs, the communication passage being formed by an annular collector disposed above the overflow re-servoirs, its bottom being perforated by apertures communicating with the respective reservoirs, and an annular wall covering the portioning cavi-ties and extending from the upper edge of their inlet to the annular collector .
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
35 words
A rotor according to claim 4, characterized in that the top surface of the annular wall covering the proportioning cavities forms an edge with the upper edge of the inlet apertures of the portioning cavi-ties.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
A rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that the transfer passages are ducts dimentioned so as to produce capillary forces in the liquid adapted to produce a cohesive meniscus at one end, and the liquid-retaining means associated with the aforementioned passages comprise a volume of air imprisoned in each cell into which the respective distribution passages open.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
43 words
A rotor according to claim 6, characterized in that the transfer passages open into a surface of the res-pective cells substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor and at a distance from the top and bottom surfaces of the cells.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
47 words
A rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that the overflow reservoir is disposed between two of the aforementioned cells and is connected to the distribution chamber by a communication passage and to atmos-phere by at least one aperture formed in the top surface of the reservoir.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
A rotor according to claim 8, characterized in that it comprises two diametrically opposite overflow reser-voirs.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
28 words
A rotor according to claim 3, characterized in that circular grooves are formed in the top and bottom rotor surfaces adjacent the edges formed between the por-tioning cavities.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
46 words
A rotor according to claim 10, characteri-zed in that the circular grooves formed in the bottom surface of the rotor are interrupted by ribs dispo-sed on either side of the passage communicating with the overflow reservoir, the ribs extending inside the circle bounded by the grooves.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
28 words
A rotor according to claim 8, characterized in that the aperture connecting to atmosphere is formed in at least one adjoining chamber laterally connec-ted to the overflow reservoir,
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
A rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion of the cavities into which the trans-fer passages open forms an angle smaller than 180° and substantially symmetrical around a radius extending through the end of each of the aforementioned passages adjacent the respective portioning cavities.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
32 words
A rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that the analytical cells have a constant height whereas their width decreases in proportion to the radial dis-tance from the centre of the rotor.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
30 words
A rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlets are at a higher level than the bottom of the distribution chamber and the bottom of the portioning cavities.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
31 words
A rotor according to claim 1, characterized in that each cell has an aperture connecting to the exterior of the rotor, and a closure means which is removable from the aperture.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
64 words
An analytical rotor according to claim 1, charac-terized in that the communication passage is formed by an annular collector disposed below the portioning cavi-ties , said collector having an inlet and being in communication with an overflow reservoir, an annular wall separating the portioning cavities from said collector and extending from the lower edge of the inlets of said cavities to the overflow reservoir.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
107 words
An analytical rotor according to claim 17, charac-terized in that with respect to an assembly comprising the analytical cells and the portioning cavities the central distribution chamber can take two posi-tions along the rotation axis of the rotor: a first position in which the radially outermost upper edge of said chamber is at a level comprised between the levels of the upper and the lower edges of the inlets of the portioning cavities, and a second position in which said upper edge of the chamber is at a level comprised between the levels of the upper and the lower edges of the inlets of the annular collector.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
143 words
Use of the analytical rotor according to claim 18, characterized in that a volume of liquid greater than the total volume of the portioning cavities is intro-duced into the central distribution chamber; with said chamber in the first position, the rotor is rotated at a first speed to exert on the liquid a centrifugal force smaller than the threshold value but sufficient for filling the portioning cavities and discharge the surplus liquid into the overflow reservoir; and that, after putting the chamber in the second position, the rotor speed is changed to a second speed greater than the first, in order to exert on the liquid a centrifugal force greater than the thres-hold value, so as to transfer the portions contained in the portioning cavities to the respective analytical cells, and to transfer probable liquid residues in the chamber to the overflow reservoir.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
49 words
An analytical rotor according to claim 17, charac-terized in that the central distribution chamber is an element which can rotate at a speed which differs from the rotation speed of an assembly comprising the ana-lytical cells and the portioning cavities or remain at rest during centrifugation of said assembly.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
146 words
Use of the analytical rotor according to claim 20, characterized in that a volume of liquid greater than the total volume of the portioning cavities is introduced into the central distribution chamber; the assembly comprising the analytical cells and the portioning cavities is rotated at a first speed while the chamber is rotated at the same time at a higher speed to exert on the liquid a centrifugal force smaller than the thres-hold value but sufficient for filling the portioning ca-vities and discharge the surplus liquid into the overflow reservoir; and the rotation speed of the assembly comprising the analytical cells and the portioning cavities is chan-ged to a second speed greater than the first, in order to exert on the liquid a centrifugal force greater than the threshold value, so as to transfer the portions contained in the portioning cavities to the respective analytical cells.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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