Microfluidic rotor device

Abstract

A microfluidic rotor for characterizing an analyte in a fluid includes a plurality of cuvettes containing one or more selected reagents. The rotor further includes a plurality of cuvette indicia. The rotor has a cuvette marker to cuvette ratio different from 1: 1. For example, in some cases, the ratio of the cuvette marker to the cuvette receiving chamber may be 1: 4.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to rotor devices, systems, and kits configured to characterize one or more analytes. Background Art

[0002] This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

[0003] The analysis of analytes and especially analytes in fluids is important in a variety of fields. For example, the analysis of fluids from individuals can be used as a diagnostic tool to monitor health and diagnose diseases. Devices (e.g., analyzers) configured to characterize analytes in fluids are often configured to accommodate one or more rotors, each of which has a plurality of cuvettes containing one or more selected reagents. The analyzer includes an optical system and a photodetector configured to monitor chemical reactions in the cuvette. For example, the analyzer may be configured to spin one or more rotors while the optical system directs (or flashes) light through the cuvette onto the photodetector, so as to generate an output signal proportional to the amount of different products generated by the reaction between the analyte and the reagent (directly or inversely proportional). The rotor includes a plurality of cuvette (or position) marks that also reflect light ignored by the optical system. The detection of each cuvette mark signals the analyzer that another cuvette has passed and allows the controller to track which of the multiple cuvettes is being analyzed. The rotors often have a 1:1 ratio of cuvette marks to cuvettes, and the analyzer uses a time-based calibration to synchronize the application of light to selected cuvettes. It is desirable to increase the number of cuvettes that can be held by each rotor, for example by reducing the number of cuvette marks. However, changing the ratio of cuvette marks to cuvettes can increase positional errors. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a position-based method to synchronize the application of light to selected cuvettes. Summary of the invention

[0004] This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

[0005] In at least one example embodiment, the present disclosure provides a rotor for use in an apparatus for characterizing an analyte in a fluid. The rotor may include a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers and a plurality of cuvette markings. The cuvette receiving chambers may be configured to receive cuvettes containing one or more selected reagents. The rotor may have a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers other than 1:1.

[0006] In at least one example embodiment, the plurality of cuvette storage chambers may include one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers, wherein individual groups of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers are disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and the angular separation defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers adjacent to the cuvette storage chambers may be approximately 6 degrees.

[0007] In at least one example embodiment, the rotor may include 12 cuvette markings and 48 cuvette receiving chambers.

[0008] In at least one example embodiment, the rotor may have a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers of 1:4.

[0009] In at least one example embodiment, the plurality of cuvette storage chambers may include one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers, wherein individual groups of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers are disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and the angular separation between adjacent cuvette storage chambers defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers is approximately 7.5 degrees.

[0010] In at least one example embodiment, the rotor may include 6 cuvette markings and 42 cuvette receiving chambers.

[0011] In at least one example embodiment, the rotor may have a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers of 1:7.

[0012] In at least one example embodiment, the plurality of cuvette storage chambers may include one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers, wherein individual groups of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers are disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and the angular separation between adjacent cuvette storage chambers defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers may be approximately 10 degrees.

[0013] In at least one example embodiment, the rotor may include 4 cuvette markings and 32 cuvette receiving chambers.

[0014] In at least one example embodiment, the rotor may have a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers of 1:8.

[0015] In at least one example embodiment, each of the plurality of cuvette markings may have the same size.

[0016] In at least one example embodiment, a first mark of the plurality of cuvette marks may have a first width and remaining marks of the plurality of cuvette marks may have a second width, wherein the first width is greater than the second width.

[0017] In at least one example embodiment, the remaining marks may each have the same size.

[0018] In at least one example embodiment, the present disclosure provides a rotor for use in an apparatus for characterizing an analyte in a fluid. The rotor may include a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers and a plurality of cuvette markings. Each of the cuvette receiving chambers may be configured to receive a cuvette containing one or more selected reagents. The rotor may have a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers of greater than or equal to about 1:8 to less than or equal to about 1:1.

[0019] In at least one example embodiment, the plurality of cuvette storage chambers may include one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers, wherein individual groups of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers are disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and the angular separation between adjacent cuvette storage chambers defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers may be greater than or equal to about 5 degrees to less than or equal to about 10 degrees.

[0020] In at least one example embodiment, the rotor may include greater than or equal to about 4 and less than or equal to about 30 cuvette markings and greater than or equal to about 30 and less than or equal to about 60 cuvette receiving chambers.

[0021] In at least one example embodiment, a first mark of the plurality of cuvette marks may have a first width and remaining marks of the plurality of cuvette marks may have a second width, wherein the first width is greater than the second width.

[0022] In at least one example embodiment, the remaining marks may each have the same size.

[0023] In at least one example embodiment, the present disclosure provides a rotor for use in an apparatus for characterizing an analyte in a fluid. The rotor may include one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers and a plurality of cuvette markings. Each of the cuvette receiving chambers defining the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers may be configured to receive a cuvette containing one or more selected reagents. The angular separation between adjacent cuvette receiving chambers defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers may be greater than or equal to about 6 degrees to less than or equal to about 15 degrees.

[0024] In at least one example embodiment, a first mark of the plurality of cuvette marks may have a first width and remaining marks of the plurality of cuvette marks may have a second width, wherein the first width is greater than the second width.

[0025] Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein.The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 1 is an illustration of an exemplary apparatus configured to characterize an analyte carried by a cuvette according to various aspects of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 2 According to various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 1 A top view of an exemplary rotor for use with the apparatus shown in , comprising a plurality of cuvette markings and a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers, wherein the ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers is 1:4;

[0029] Figure 3 According to various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 1 A top view of an exemplary rotor for use with the apparatus shown in , comprising a plurality of cuvette markings and a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers, wherein the ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers is 1:7;

[0030] Figure 4 According to various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 1 A top view of an exemplary rotor for use with the apparatus shown in , comprising a plurality of cuvette markings and a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers, wherein the ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers is 1:8; and

[0031] Figure 5 According to various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 1 A top view illustration of an exemplary rotor for use with the apparatus shown in , comprising a plurality of cuvette markings and a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers, wherein at least one of the cuvette markings is an index mark.

[0032] Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] Example embodiments are provided so that the disclosure will be thorough and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art. Numerous specific details, such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms without using specific details and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail.

[0035] The terms used herein are used only for the purpose of describing specific example embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "said" may also be intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises", "comprising", "including", and "having" are inclusive and thus specify the presence of stated features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. Unless specifically identified as an order of execution, the method steps, processes, and operations described herein should not be interpreted as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the specific order discussed or shown. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0036] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly engaged, connected, or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may only be used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Unless the context clearly indicates, terms such as "first", "second", and other numerical terms do not imply order or sequence when used herein. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments, the first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or section.

[0038] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "inside", "outside", "under", "below", "lower", "above", "upper", etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another (some) elements or features as shown in the figures. In addition to the orientations depicted in the figures, spatially relative terms may also be intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, the elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements or features will then be oriented as "above" other elements or features. Therefore, the example term "below" may cover both the above and below orientations. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0039] The present disclosure provides an apparatus 100 for characterizing an analyte in a fluid and / or measuring or controlling system functionality. Figure 1 As shown in , the apparatus 100 may be configured to receive a microfluidic rotor 130, as further described below, the microfluidic rotor includes a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers 160 configured to receive cuvettes (not shown). The analyzer 100 may include a first light detector 140 configured to monitor the presence of a cuvette mark 150 on the microfluidic rotor 130. The analyzer 100 may also include an optical system 170 that monitors a chemical reaction in a cuvette disposed in the microfluidic rotor 130. For example, the motor 120 may be configured to spin the rotor 130 while the optical system 170 directs light through one or more of the plurality of cuvettes and onto a second light detector (not shown), thereby generating an output signal that is proportional (directly proportional or inversely proportional) to the amount of different products generated by the reaction in the cuvette. In at least one example embodiment, the second light detector may be located between the microfluidic rotor 130 and the motor 120. In at least one example embodiment, the second light detector may be part of the optical system 170.

[0040] The microfluidic rotor 130 includes a plurality of cuvette (or position) marks 150 disposed (or formed) on a surface (or in) the rotor 130. The cuvette marks 150 reflect light that may be ignored by the light transmitter, and the reflected light may be received by a light detector, where the detection of each cuvette mark 150 signals the analyzer 100 that another group of the plurality of cuvette receiving chambers 160 has passed and allows a controller (not shown) disposed within (or in communication with) the analyzer 100 to track which of the plurality of cuvettes is being analyzed. The light transmitter and the light detector may together define a first light detector 140.

[0041] Different ratios of cuvette marks 150 to cuvettes are contemplated. By increasing the number of measurement sites (i.e., chambers 160) relative to the cuvette marks 150, space is created on the circumference of the microfluidic rotor 130 to allow for more measurement sites. In at least one example embodiment, the microfluidic rotor 30 may have a ratio of cuvette marks 150 to cuvette receiving chambers 160 of greater than or equal to about 1:8 to less than or equal to about 1:1, and optionally greater than or equal to about 1:8 to less than or equal to about 1:4 in certain aspects. In at least one example embodiment, the plurality of cuvette storage chambers 160 may include one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers 160, and the angular separation between adjacent cuvette storage chambers 160 defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers 160 may be greater than or equal to about 5 degrees to less than or equal to about 15 degrees, optionally greater than or equal to about 6 degrees to less than or equal to about 15 degrees, and in certain aspects, optionally greater than or equal to about 5 degrees to less than or equal to about 10 degrees. In at least one example embodiment, the angular separation between the cuvette storage chamber 160 and the reagent cuvette marking 150 may similarly be greater than or equal to about 5 degrees to less than or equal to about 15 degrees, optionally greater than or equal to about 6 degrees to less than or equal to about 15 degrees, and in certain aspects, optionally greater than or equal to about 5 degrees to less than or equal to about 10 degrees. In at least one example embodiment, the microfluidic rotor 30 may include greater than or equal to about 4 to less than or equal to about 30, and in some aspects optionally greater than or equal to about 4 to less than or equal to about 12 cuvette marks 150. In at least one example embodiment, the microfluidic rotor 30 may include greater than or equal to about 30 to less than or equal to about 60, and in some aspects optionally greater than or equal to about 32 to less than or equal to about 48 cuvette receiving chambers 160.

[0042] like Figure 2As shown in , in at least one example embodiment, the microfluidic rotor 130 may include twelve cuvette marks 150 and forty-eight cuvette receiving chambers 160 (i.e., the ratio of cuvette marks 150 to cuvette receiving chambers 160 is 1:4), wherein there is an angular separation of about six degrees between the cuvette marks 150 and adjacent cuvette receiving chambers 160. Figure 3 As shown in , in at least one example embodiment, the microfluidic rotor 130 may include six cuvette marks 150 and forty-two cuvette receiving chambers 160 (i.e., the ratio of cuvette marks 150 to cuvette receiving chambers 160 is 1:7), wherein there is an angular separation of about 7.5 degrees between the cuvette marks 150 and the cuvette receiving chambers 160. Figure 4 As shown in , in at least one example embodiment, the microfluidic rotor 130 may include four cuvette marks 150 and thirty-two cuvette receiving chambers 160 (i.e., the ratio of cuvette marks 150 to cuvette receiving chambers 160 is 1:8), wherein there is an angular separation of about ten degrees between the cuvette marks 150 and the cuvette receiving chambers 160. In at least one example embodiment, the cuvette marks 150 may have the same shape and configuration, and may be symmetrically arranged around the circumference of the microfluidic rotor 130.

[0043] In at least one example embodiment, Figure 5 As shown in , the microfluidic rotor 130 may include a cuvette mark 150A having a size greater than other cuvette marks 150B, so that one cuvette mark 150A can serve as an index mark. Other cuvette marks 150B may have the same or different shapes and configurations, and may be symmetrically arranged around the circumference of the rotor 130. In at least one example embodiment, the index mark 150A may be wider than other cuvette marks 150B. For example, the width of the index mark 150A may be twice that of the cuvette mark 150B. In at least one example embodiment, the microfluidic rotor 130 may include an index mark 150A, eleven cuvette marks 150B, and forty-eight cuvette chambers 160 (i.e., the ratio of the cuvette mark 150 to the cuvette receiving chamber 160 is 1:4), wherein there is an angular separation of about thirty degrees between the cuvette marks 150A and 150B. In various cases, the index mark 150A assigns a zero position to the microfluidic rotor 130 , which allows, for example, the relative position of each of the remaining cuvette marks 150B and, therefore, the relative position of each cuvette receiving chamber 160 to be assigned.

[0044] In various circumstances, increasing the distance between consecutive cuvette marks 150, 150A, 150B can result in positioning errors. In various aspects, the present disclosure provides a high resolution (e.g., 5,000 lines per revolution (20,000 quadrature counts) motor position encoder 110. The motor precision encoder 110 can be defined on or mounted to a (hollow) shaft connecting the microfluidic rotor 130 and the motor 120. In at least one example embodiment, the motor position encoder 110 can be an off-the-shelf component comprising a disk mounted to a precision machined hub and an encoder module. The center of each cuvette mark 150, 150A, 150B can be mapped to the motor position encoder 110. More specifically, the center of each cuvette mark 150, 150A, 150B can be mapped to a disk mounted to a precision machined hub. Thus, the encoder 110 allows an entire rotation of the motor to be accurately recorded. into smaller segments. A motor position encoder 110 with 20,000 quadrature counts may allow the rotor position to be determined to within about 0.018 degrees, i.e., 1 / 20,000 of 360 degrees. For example, when four cuvette receiving chambers 160 are disposed between the cuvette marks 150, 150A, 150B, the motor position encoder 100 has 20,000 counts, and the positions of the consecutive cuvette marks 150, 150A, 150B are determined to be 1235 and 2900, and the positions of the four cuvette receiving chambers 160 therebetween will have positions 1568, 1901, 2234, and 2567, respectively (assuming that the spacing between each adjacent cuvette mark 150, 150A, 150B and the cuvette receiving chamber 160 is equal).

[0045] In at least one example embodiment, the motor 120 may be operated in a position mode, wherein the motor 120 is configured to follow the shortest path to each of the plurality of cuvette chambers 160, and the plurality of cuvette marks may be used as a data set to construct a model that defines the relationship between the measured marks and the known positions of the cuvette marks 150, 150A, 150B of the microfluidic rotor 130 (e.g., as shown in Figures 2 to 5 ). Building the model may include first determining the error (or difference) between the measured cuvette mark and the predicted cuvette mark. For example, based on the motor position encoder 110 values ​​for two consecutive cuvette marks 150, 150A, 150B and the relative motor speeds at those cuvette marks, it is possible to create a model to determine the position of the cuvette receiving chamber 160 between the two cuvette marks 150, 150A, 150B. If the motor speeds at the two cuvette marks 150, 150A, 150B are the same, then the position of the cuvette receiving chamber 160 therebetween may be linearly interpolated.

[0046] The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for the purpose of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure. The individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to the particular embodiment, but are interchangeable and can be used in selected embodiments where applicable, even if the embodiment is not specifically shown or described. It can also be varied in many ways. Such variations should not be considered as departing from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A rotor for use in an apparatus for characterizing an analyte in a fluid, the rotor comprising a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers, each configured to receive a cuvette containing one or more selected reagents; and A plurality of cuvette markings, the rotor having a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers other than 1:

1.

2. A rotor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cuvette storage chambers include one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers, wherein a single group of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers is disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and wherein the angular separation defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers is approximately 6 degrees adjacent to the cuvette storage chamber.

3. The rotor of claim 2, wherein the rotor comprises 12 cuvette markings and 48 cuvette receiving chambers.

4. The rotor of claim 2, wherein the rotor has a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers of 1:

4.

5. A rotor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cuvette receiving chambers include one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers, wherein a single group of the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers is disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and wherein the angular separation between adjacent cuvette receiving chambers defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers is approximately 7.5 degrees.

6. The rotor of claim 5, wherein the rotor comprises 6 cuvette markings and 42 cuvette receiving chambers.

7. The rotor of claim 5, wherein the rotor has a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers of 1:

7.

8. A rotor according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of cuvette storage chambers include one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers, wherein a single group of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers is disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and wherein the angular separation between adjacent cuvette storage chambers defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette storage chambers is approximately 10 degrees.

9. The rotor of claim 8, wherein the rotor comprises 4 cuvette markings and 32 cuvette receiving chambers.

10. The rotor of claim 8, wherein the rotor has a ratio of cuvette markings to cuvette receiving chambers of 1:

8.

11. The rotor of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of cuvette markings are of the same size.

12. The rotor of claim 1, wherein a first mark of the plurality of cuvette marks has a first width and the remaining marks of the plurality of cuvette marks have a second width, the first width being greater than the second width.

13. A rotor according to claim 12, wherein the remaining markings are each of the same size.

14. A rotor for use in an apparatus for characterizing an analyte in a fluid, the rotor comprising a plurality of cuvette receiving chambers, each configured to receive a cuvette containing one or more selected reagents; and A plurality of cuvette marks, the rotor having a ratio of cuvette marks to cuvette receiving chambers of greater than or equal to about 1:8 to less than or equal to about 1:

1.

15. A rotor according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of cuvette receiving chambers include one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers, wherein a single group of the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers is disposed between consecutive cuvette markings of the plurality of cuvette markings, and wherein the angular separation between adjacent cuvette receiving chambers defining each of the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers is greater than or equal to about 5 degrees to less than or equal to about 10 degrees.

16. The rotor of claim 14, wherein the rotor comprises greater than or equal to about 4 and less than or equal to about 30 cuvette markings and greater than or equal to about 30 and less than or equal to about 60 cuvette receiving chambers.

17. The rotor of claim 14, wherein a first mark of the plurality of cuvette marks has a first width and the remaining marks of the plurality of cuvette marks have a second width, the first width being greater than the second width.

18. A rotor according to claim 17, wherein the remaining markings are each of the same size.

19. A rotor for use in an apparatus for characterizing an analyte in a fluid, the rotor comprising: one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers, each of the cuvette receiving chambers defining the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers being configured to receive a cuvette containing one or more selected reagents; and A plurality of cuvette markings define an angular separation between adjacent cuvette receiving chambers of each of the one or more groups of cuvette receiving chambers of greater than or equal to about 6 degrees to less than or equal to about 15 degrees.

20. The rotor of claim 19, wherein a first mark of the plurality of cuvette marks has a first width and the remaining marks of the plurality of cuvette marks have a second width, the first width being greater than the second width.

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