Multi-channel lower part for a fluid transfer device, and fluid transfer device

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transfer device (100). The multi-channel lower part (20) comprises: a housing (22) which contains multiple parallel channels (31-38) for receiving a fluid (40), wherein each channel comprises a cylinder (39) axially delimited by a displaceable piston (42), wherein an end portion of the displaceable piston (42) is received in a piston actuator (44) such that displacement of the piston actuator (44) causes the pistons (42) to each be displaced by the same distance. The housing (22) has a first receptacle (50) for a first support element (52), which contains a plurality of channels (31-38), and the housing (22) has a second receptacle (60) for a second support element (62), which contains a different number of channels (71-86) than the first support element (52). The first support element (52) and the second support element (62) are each reversibly detachably fixable in the housing (22).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Multi-channel lower part for a fluid transfer device and fluid transfer device

[0003] The invention relates to a multi-channel lower part for a fluid transfer device and to a fluid transfer device having such a multi-channel lower part according to the preamble of the independent patent claims. In particular, the invention relates to a multi-channel lower part for a multi-channel fluid transfer device, which is designed to accommodate a different number of channels in one and the same housing.

[0004] Multi-channel fluid transfer devices are, in particular, multi-channel pipettes and multi-channel dispensers designed for the calibrated aspiration of liquids and / or the subsequent dispensing of the liquids into containers. The multi-channel fluid transfer device is held in the hand of an operator during the aspiration and dispensing of the liquid. A multi-channel fluid transfer device has an upper part in which the operating elements and the mechanics or electronics required for aspiration of the liquid are located, as well as a multi-channel lower part with several parallel dispensing channels designed for the simultaneous manipulation of multiple samples. Multi-channel lower parts of pipettes are known, with which 6, 8, 12, 16, or 24 samples can be aspirated or dispensed simultaneously.

[0005] EP 2 190 582 B1 discloses a multi-channel pipetting system for the calibrated aspiration of liquids and the subsequent dispensing of the liquids into containers. The sampling pipettes can be held in the operator's hand while aspirating and dispensing the liquid or can be included as part of an automated system. The multi-channel pipette comprises a body forming a handle and a base having a plurality of parallel aspiration channels for a liquid. Cones are formed at one end of the aspiration channels protruding from the housing to accommodate a pipette tip in each of the aspiration channels.

[0006] Patent application DE 102006 031 460 A1 discloses a pipetting device for dispensing liquids with a multi-channel lower part, which has a plurality of parallel receiving channels for a liquid. The receiving channels are each delimited by a piston that can be moved within the receiving channel, with the different pistons being controlled by a common piston actuator. The device is designed to receive eight equal amounts of liquid and dispense them again in a controlled manner in a subsequent process step.

[0007] The disadvantage of such multi-channel pipettes, however, is that the varying number of channels leads to a high level of component diversity and, consequently, to correspondingly high production costs for the various variants of the multi-channel pipette bases. The tooling for the housings of the multi-channel bases, in particular, is correspondingly complex and expensive.

[0008] The object of the invention is to reduce the variety of variants of a multi-channel pipette or a multi-channel dispenser and thus to simplify production and reduce costs.

[0009] The object is achieved by a multi-channel lower part for a fluid transmission device, comprising a housing in which a plurality of parallel channels for receiving a fluid are arranged, wherein each channel comprises a cylinder which is delimited in the axial direction by a displaceable piston, wherein an end section of the displaceable piston is received in a piston actuator such that a displacement of the piston actuator causes the pistons to be displaced by the same distance. According to the invention, a first receptacle for a first carrier element is formed on the housing, in which a plurality of channels are received, and a second receptacle for a second carrier element is formed on the housing, in which number of channels different from the first carrier element is received. The first carrier element and the second carrier element can each be reversibly and detachably fixed in the housing.The support elements are preferably made of a plastic that is dimensionally stable under typical autoclave conditions (120-130°C, steam, pressure). An example of such a plastic is PEEK, but the design is not limited to this plastic. Alternatively, the support element can also be made of a metal, particularly steel, aluminum, or copper, or can be constructed in a hybrid design that includes a metal as the support and a plastic as the injection molding / overmolding of molded parts.

[0010] The multi-channel lower part for a fluid transmission system according to the invention makes it possible to produce different variants with a reduced number of housings. For example, an 8-channel and a 16-channel variant, or a 12-channel and a 24-channel variant, can be produced with the same housing. This allows the number of housing variants and, with it, the injection molding tools required to manufacture the housings to be halved. Furthermore, the smaller number of housing variants results in additional synergy effects such as reduced setup times or a complete elimination of tool changes, higher unit quantities per housing variant, and thus lower manufacturing costs. Particularly for variants that would otherwise only be produced in small quantities, the modular design can achieve significant cost reductions.Furthermore, the modular design of the multi-channel lower section with different support elements enables easy replacement of components in the event of servicing, so that, for example, in the case of internal repairs, the costs can be reduced by replacing the defective component(s).

[0011] The features listed in the dependent claims enable advantageous improvements and further developments of the multi-channel fluid transmission device specified in the independent claim.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first support element has a first number of channels and the second support element has twice that number. This makes it particularly easy to represent the most common variants, namely 8-channel and 16-channel as well as 12-channel and 24-channel, each with a single housing. This reduces the number of housings to two. Furthermore, by exchanging the support elements and the cylinders accommodated therein, different volume variants can be formed, so that the number of identical parts can be further increased. Only the piston actuator is then selected according to the number of channels to be represented and a suitable set of pistons is selected to represent the corresponding volume and channel variant of the multi-channel lower part.

[0013] It is particularly preferred if the distance between the center axes of the channels accommodated in the first support element is twice as large as the distance between the center axes of the channels accommodated in the second support element. In particular, the first support element has a distance of 9 mm between the center axes of the channels, and the second support element has a distance of 4.5 mm between the center axes of the channels. Distances of 4.5 mm and 9 mm are typical for test tubes or plates that are filled or moistened with a liquid using a pipette or dispenser. Accordingly, a distance of the center axes of 4.5 mm for the support element with twice the number of channels and a distance of 9 mm for the support element with just the number of channels is particularly advantageous in order to enable particularly efficient and effective laboratory operation.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the multi-channel lower part, the first support element and / or the second support element, preferably both support elements, can be fixed in the housing receptacle by means of a snap-in connection. This enables particularly simple, fast, and cost-effective assembly of the multi-channel lower parts. Furthermore, such a snap-in connection is generally reversibly detachable, allowing for quick and uncomplicated replacement in the event of incorrect assembly or the installation of a faulty support element.

[0015] In an advantageous embodiment of the multi-channel lower section, cones for receiving pipette tips are arranged in an axial extension and coaxial with the channels. Each cone is spring-loaded by a cone spring. This enables particularly simple, comfortable, and safe pipette tip insertion. In particular, cone springs can limit the operating forces, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the pipette tip. Furthermore, the limited force required is perceived as pleasant by the user of the fluid transfer system and prevents rapid fatigue during a large number of fluid transfer operations.

[0016] It is particularly preferred if the conical springs are arranged concentrically to the channels in the first support element and parallel to the channels in the second support element. This allows for a particularly compact design of the first support element. Since the distances between the channels in the first support element are correspondingly large, a concentric arrangement of the conical springs is easily possible.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the multi-channel lower part, a retaining clip is provided for locking one of the support elements, which retaining clip can be connected to the housing or to a receptacle connected to the housing. This makes it easy to fix the support element in the housing. A retaining clip can be manufactured particularly easily and cost-effectively and enables the support element to be securely fixed in the receptacle or receptacles of the housing. In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the first receptacle is identical to the second receptacle. The multi-channel lower parts differ only in the support elements, the number of channels and pistons, and the design of the piston actuator. This makes it particularly easy to manufacture and assemble the multi-channel lower parts.

[0018] A second aspect of the invention relates to a multi-channel fluid transfer device with an upper part and such a multi-channel lower part, wherein the upper part has an operating element which is configured to displace a piston actuator of the multi-channel lower part in the axial direction via a transfer element and thus to displace a plurality of pistons in the channels in order to receive a fluid. Such multi-channel fluid transfer devices can be manufactured particularly cost-effectively due to the small number of variants of the multi-channel lower parts. Furthermore, a particularly high quality can be achieved since no additional setup times and associated breaks and restarts in injection molding processes for producing the housing of the multi-channel lower part are necessary. This allows the production of a particularly high-quality fluid transfer device.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the multi-channel fluid transfer device is a multi-channel pipette or a multi-channel dispenser. For the simultaneous processing of multiple samples, multi-channel pipettes or multi-channel dispensers are used in laboratories. These can be held in one hand and operated with one hand. This allows a large number of samples to be processed and / or manipulated simultaneously in a simple manner.

[0020] A further aspect of the invention relates to a method for producing such a multi-channel fluid transmission device, wherein the method comprises the following steps: producing a housing of a multi-channel lower part, producing a carrier element for such a multi-channel lower part, inserting cylinders into the carrier element, inserting pistons into the cylinders, fixing the pistons in the piston actuator, fixing the carrier element in the housing

[0021] The method enables the assembly of a multi-channel fluid transfer device, in particular for a multi-channel pipette or a multi-channel dispenser, in which different variants of multi-channel lower parts can be created by simply exchanging the carrier element, the pistons, and the piston actuator with the same housing components. This reduces the number of housing part variants, thereby lowering manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the interchangeability of the components opens up additional possibilities, allowing a customer, for example, to convert the multi-channel lower part between a first number of channels and a second number of channels using a set consisting of a housing, two piston actuators, two piston sets, and two carrier elements.

[0022] The various embodiments of the invention mentioned in this application can be advantageously combined with one another, unless otherwise stated in the individual case.

[0023] The invention is explained below in exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical components or components with the same function are identified by the same reference numerals in the different figures. They show:

[0024] Figure 1 shows a multi-channel fluid transfer device;

[0025] Figure 2 shows a sectional view of a multi-channel

[0026] fluid transfer device,

[0027] Figure 3 shows a first recording for a multi-channel

[0028] Fluid transfer device for accommodating eight channels,

[0029] Figure 4 shows a second recording for a multi-channel

[0030] Fluid transfer device for accommodating 16 channels,

[0031] Figure 5 shows a further sectional view of a multi-channel

[0032] Fluid transfer device.

[0033] Figure 1 shows a fluid transfer device 100 in the form of a multi-channel pipette 102 with an upper part 10 and a multi-channel lower part 20, which is reversibly detachably connected to the upper part 10. An operating element 12, in particular an operating button 16, is provided on the upper part 10, with which a liquid can be taken up into the fluid transfer device 100 in a first process step and dispensed again by the same in a subsequent process step. Furthermore, the upper part 10 comprises a housing 14, in which a transfer rod (not shown) is arranged, which establishes a mechanical connection between the operating element 12 and the multi-channel lower part 20. A finger hook 18 is formed on the upper part 10, with which the liquid transfer device can rest on a finger of the operator in order to facilitate holding and operating the fluid transfer device 100.An ejector button 13 may also be formed on the upper part 10 to facilitate ejection of pipette tips after use of the liquid transfer device 100.

[0034] The upper part 10 has a preferably tubular housing 14, from which an operating element 12, in particular a control knob 16, protrudes at one end face. The operating element 12 serves to set a volume for the fluid transfer and / or to control the fluid intake and / or discharge through the multi-channel fluid transfer device 100. Furthermore, parts of the mechanics necessary for the fluid transfer and, if necessary, electronic components for controlling the multi-channel fluid transfer device are arranged in the upper part 10.

[0035] The multi-channel lower part 20 comprises a housing 22 with a first housing shell 24 and a second housing shell 26, which are connected to one another and form the housing 22. The housing shells 24, 26 are separated at the side walls 21, 23 of the housing 22. The multi-channel lower part 20 comprises a plurality of parallel channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, each with a receiving volume 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 for a fluid 40. For this purpose, a pipette tip, into which a liquid can be received, is attached to a cone 30 of the channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38. For ejecting the pipette tips, an ejection frame 28 is provided which is mechanically connected to the ejector button 13 and, when the ejector button 13 is pressed, causes the pipette tips to be ejected from the cones 30 of the channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38.

[0036] Figure 2 shows a sectional view through a multi-channel lower part 20 according to the invention for a fluid transmission device 100. The lower part 20 has a piston actuator 44, which is displaced in the axial direction against a return spring of the piston actuator 44 (not shown in Figure 2) by pressing the operating button 16 of the upper part. Receptacles for receiving a first end section 45, in particular a piston head 46, of a plurality of pistons 42 arranged parallel to one another are formed on the piston actuator 44. The pistons 42 each have a piston rod, on which a sealing element is arranged at an end facing away from the first end section 45. The sealing elements of the pistons 42 are each received in a cylinder 39.

[0037] The multi-channel lower part 20 further comprises a first receptacle 50 for a first

[0038] Support element 52 in which a plurality of channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 are accommodated. The channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 each comprise a cylinder 39 for receiving a fluid. The cylinder 39 has a cone 30, which is formed on the side of the cylinder 39 facing away from the piston 42 and is designed to receive a pipette tip. Furthermore, a spring seat 59 for receiving a conical spring 98 is formed on the cylinder 39. The channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 each comprise a conical spring 98, with which the respective cylinder 39 is spring-loaded in the support element 52. To lock the carrier element 52, a retaining clip 54 is provided, with which the carrier element 52 can be fixed to the receptacle 50 of the housing 22.

[0039] Figure 3 shows the support element 52 in a three-dimensional representation. The support element has a seat 58, on which the cylinders 39 of the channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 are positively received. Furthermore, the support element 52 has spring seats 53, on which the conical springs 98 are received at their ends facing away from the spring seats 59. The cone springs 98 are arranged concentrically to the cylinders 39 of the channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and enclose the respective cylinder 39. Each cylinder 39 has a volume 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97 for receiving a fluid, in particular for receiving an air cushion, in order to be able to receive a liquid and subsequently dispense it again by a corresponding displacement of the fluid in pipette tips received on the cones 30.

[0040] Figure 4 shows a second support element 62 for a multi-channel lower part 20 according to the invention. The second support element 62 can be received, as an alternative to the first support element 52, on the receptacle 50 or a further receptacle 60 in the housing 22 of the multi-channel lower part. The second support element 62 is configured to accommodate twice the number of cylinders 39 compared to the first support element 52 and thus to form twice the number of channels 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86. The center axes of the respective channels 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 are spaced half a distance from the channels 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 accommodated in the first support element 52.Thus, the distances between the center axes in the first support element 52 are preferably in the range of 8 mm to 10 mm, particularly preferably 9 mm, and the distances between the center axes in the second support element 62 are 4 mm to 5 mm, preferably 4.5 mm. Due to the narrower distances between the cylinders 39, a spring seat 59 for the conical springs 98 is formed on the support element 62, wherein the conical springs 98 in this exemplary embodiment are not arranged concentrically to the cylinders 39, but rather parallel to the cylinders 39 in order to enable conical springing for the cones 30 on the channels 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 even in confined installation space.

[0041] Figure 5 shows a further sectional view of a multi-channel lower part 20 according to the invention. In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, the second carrier element 62 is fastened in the receptacle 50 or in the receptacle 60 of the housing 22. In the

[0042] Sixteen channels 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 with the associated cylinders 39 are accommodated in the support element 62. The cylinders 39 of the channels 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86 are fixed in the support element 62 by a securing element 64.

[0043] List of reference symbols

[0044] 10 Top

[0045] 12 Control element

[0046] 13 Ejector button

[0047] 14 housings

[0048] 16 Control knob

[0049] 18 finger hooks

[0050] 19 Transfer element

[0051] 20 multi-channel lower part

[0052] 21 first side wall

[0053] 22 housings

[0054] 23 second side wall

[0055] 24 first housing shell

[0056] 26 second housing shell

[0057] 28 drop frames

[0058] 30 cone

[0059] 31 first channel

[0060] 32 second channel

[0061] 33 third channel

[0062] 34 fourth channel

[0063] 35 fifth channel

[0064] 36 sixth channel

[0065] 37 seventh channel

[0066] 38 eighth channel

[0067] 39 cylinders

[0068] 40 liquid

[0069] 42 pistons

[0070] 44 piston actuators

[0071] 45 final section

[0072] 46 Piston head 48 Piston rod

[0073] 50 first recording

[0074] 52 first support element

[0075] 54 retaining clip

[0076] 60 second shot

[0077] 62 second support element

[0078] 64 securing element

[0079] 71 first channel

[0080] 72 second channel

[0081] 73 third channel

[0082] 74 fourth channel

[0083] 75 fifth channel

[0084] 76 sixth channel

[0085] 77 seventh channel

[0086] 78 eighth channel

[0087] 79 ninth channel

[0088] 80 tenth channel

[0089] 81 eleventh channel

[0090] 82 twelfth channel

[0091] 83 thirteenth channel

[0092] 84 fourteenth channel

[0093] 85 fifteenth channel

[0094] 86 sixteenth channel

[0095] 90 first volume

[0096] 91 second volume

[0097] 92 third volume

[0098] 93 fourth volume

[0099] 94 fifth volume

[0100] 95 sixth volume

[0101] 96 seventh volume

[0102] 97 eighth volume

[0103] 98 Conical spring 100 Multi-channel fluid transfer device

[0104] 102 multi-channel pipette

Claims

Patent claims 1. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100), comprising: a housing (22) in which a plurality of parallel channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) for receiving a fluid (40) are arranged, wherein each channel (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) comprises a cylinder (39) which is delimited in the axial direction by a displaceable piston (42), wherein an end section (45) of the displaceable piston (42) is received in a piston actuator (44) in such a way that by a displacement of the piston actuator (44), the pistons (42) are each displaced by the same distance, characterized in that a first receptacle (50) for a first carrier element (52) is formed on the housing (22), in which a plurality of channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38), and wherein a second receptacle (60) for a second carrier element (62) is formed on the housing (22),in which a different number of channels (71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86) is accommodated than the first carrier element (52), wherein the first carrier element (52) and the second carrier element (62) are each reversibly detachably fixable in the housing (22).

2. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that the first carrier element (52) has a first number (n) of channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) and the second carrier element (62) has twice the number (2n) of channels (71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86).

3. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that a distance (A1) between the center axes of the channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) accommodated in the first carrier element (52) is twice as large as a distance (A2) between the center axes of the channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) accommodated in the second Channels (71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86) accommodated in the carrier element (62).

4. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first carrier element (52) and / or the second carrier element (62) can be fixed in the receptacle (60) of the housing (22) by means of a snap-in connection.

5. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in axial extension and coaxial with the channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86) cones (30) for receiving a pipette tip are arranged, wherein the cones (30) are each spring-loaded by a cone spring (98).

6. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that the conical springs (98) are arranged concentrically to the channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) in the first carrier element (52) and parallel to the channels (71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86) in the second carrier element (62).

7. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a retaining clip (54) is provided for locking one of the carrier elements (52, 62), which can be connected in the housing (20) or in a receptacle (50, 60) connected to the housing (20).

8. Multi-channel lower part (20) for a fluid transmission device (100) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the first receptacle (50) is identical to the second receptacle (60).

9. Multi-channel fluid transfer device (100) with an upper part (10) and a multi-channel lower part (20) according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the upper part (10) has an operating element (12) which is designed to displace a piston actuator (44) of the multi-channel lower part (20) in the axial direction via a transfer element (19) and thus to displace a plurality of pistons (42) in the channels (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38) in order to receive a liquid (40).

10. Multi-channel fluid transfer device (100) according to claim 9, characterized in that the multi-channel fluid transfer device (100) is a multi-channel pipette (102) or a multi-channel dispenser.

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