Actuation system and method for use with a flow cell - Patents.com

Abstract

The present invention relates to an actuation device and method for use with a flow cell. The device includes a flow cell including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet, and a flow cell assembly including a gasket assembly operably fluidically connected to the flow cell, the gasket assembly having a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket. The device further includes a reagent cartridge, the reagent cartridge adapted to receive the flow cell assembly and including a pair of reagent cartridge ports adapted to be fluidly connected to the flow cell inlet gasket and the flow cell outlet gasket. The device further includes a reagent cartridge receptacle and a lift plate assembly including a lift plate, a system plunger assembly carried by the lift plate and including multiple system plungers, and a lift plate drive assembly operably connected to the lift plate, the reagent cartridge including a reagent cartridge plunger assembly having multiple reagent cartridge plungers, each reagent cartridge plunger adapted to align with a corresponding system plunger of the system plunger assembly and a corresponding flow cell gasket of the flow cell assembly when the reagent cartridge is received in the reagent cartridge receptacle. The device and method can be used to sequence nucleic acids.

Description

Technical Field

[0003] , , , , ,

[0001] (Cross - Reference to Related Applications) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 946,361, filed on December 10, 2019, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

Background Art

[0002] Fluid cartridges and flow cells that hold reagents may be used in connection with fluid systems. The fluid cartridge may be fluidly coupled to the flow cell. The fluid cartridge includes a fluid line through which the reagent flows to the flow cell.

Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to the first implementation, the method comprises or includes moving a lift plate and a system plunger assembly held by the lift plate linearly toward the reagent cartridge plunger assembly of a regent cartridge. The system plunger assembly comprises or includes at least one system plunger. The reagent plunger assembly comprises or includes at least one reagent cartridge plunger. The method comprises, in response to at least one system plunger contacting at least one reagent cartridge plunger, acting at least one reagent cartridge plunger by a first predetermined distance to bring it into contact with the gasket assembly of a flow cell assembly. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a flow cell comprising at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet. A first fluid coupling is fluid-connected to the flow cell inlet, and a second fluid coupling is fluid-connected to the flow cell outlet. The gasket assembly comprises or includes an inlet gasket, which is fluid-coupled to first and second fluid couplings and has or has a through bore and is fluid-coupled to the flow cell inlet via the first fluid coupling, and an outlet gasket, which has or has a through bore and is fluid-coupled to the flow cell outlet via the second fluid coupling. The method comprises or includes fluid-coupled the inlet gasket to a first reagent cartridge port of a reagent cartridge and the outlet gasket to a second reagent cartridge port of a reagent cartridge in response to at least one system plunger acting on at least one reagent cartridge plunger by a second predetermined distance, thereby enabling fluid communication between the reagent cartridge port and the flow cell via the flow cell inlet and flow cell outlet.

[0004] According to the second implementation, the apparatus comprises or includes a system comprising or including a reagent cartridge receptacle and a lift plate assembly, the lift plate assembly comprising or including a lift plate, a system plunger assembly held by the lift plate and comprising or including a plurality of system plungers, and a lift plate drive assembly operably connected to the lift plate. The apparatus comprises or includes a flow cell comprising or including a flow cell comprising or including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a fluid coupling fluid-connected to the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet, respectively, and a gasket assembly fluid-connected to the fluid coupling and having a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket. The flow cell inlet gasket comprises or has a through bore and is fluid-connected to the flow cell inlet via a fluid coupling. The flow cell outlet gasket comprises or has a through bore and is fluid-connected to the flow cell outlet via a fluid coupling. The apparatus comprises or includes a reagent cartridge receivable within the reagent cartridge receptacle. The reagent cartridge comprises or includes a reagent cartridge plunger assembly having multiple reagent cartridge plungers. Each reagent cartridge plunger is fitted to align with the corresponding system plunger in the system plunger assembly and the corresponding flow cell gasket in the flow cell assembly when the reagent cartridge is received into the reagent cartridge receptacle. The reagent cartridge includes a pair of reagent cartridge ports fitted to fluidly connect to the flow cell inlet gasket and the flow cell outlet gasket.

[0005] According to a third embodiment, the apparatus comprises or includes a flow cell assembly comprising or including a flow cell comprising or including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a gasket assembly operably fluid-coupled to the flow cell, comprising or having a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket. The flow cell inlet gasket comprises or has a through bore and is fluid-coupled to the flow cell inlet. The flow cell outlet gasket comprises or has a through bore and is fluid-coupled to the flow cell outlet. The apparatus comprises or includes a reagent cartridge, the reagent cartridge comprising a pair of reagent cartridge ports adapted to receive the flow cell assembly and adapted to be fluid-coupled to the flow cell inlet gasket and the flow cell outlet gasket.

[0006] According to the fourth implementation, the method comprises or includes moving a lift plate and a system plunger assembly held by the lift plate linearly toward the reagent cartridge plunger assembly of the regent cartridge. The system plunger assembly comprises or includes a plurality of system plungers. The reagent plunger assembly comprises or includes a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers. The method comprises or includes engaging the reagent cartridge plunger and the system plunger. The method comprises or includes moving the reagent cartridge plunger toward the gasket assembly of the flow cell assembly based on the engagement between the reagent cartridge plunger and the system plunger, and the movement of the lift plate and the system plunger assembly. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a flow cell having at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet. A fluid coupling is connected to the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet, respectively. The gasket assembly is connected to the fluid coupling and comprises or includes a plurality of flow cell gaskets. One of the flow cell gaskets comprises or includes a through bore and is connected to the flow cell inlet via a fluid coupling. Another of the flow cell gaskets has or includes a through bore and is connected to the flow cell outlet via a fluid coupling. The method comprises or includes engaging the reagent cartridge plunger and the flow cell gasket. The method comprises or includes moving the flow cell gasket having a through bore toward a pair of reagent cartridge ports of the reagent cartridge, based on the engagement and movement of the lift plate and the system plunger assembly. The method comprises or includes engaging the flow cell gasket and the reagent cartridge ports to enable fluid communication between the pair of reagent cartridge ports and the flow cell via the flow cell inlet and flow cell outlet.

[0007] According to the fifth implementation, the apparatus comprises or includes a system, a flow cell assembly, and a reagent cartridge. The system comprises or includes a lift plate assembly comprising a reagent cartridge receptacle; a lift plate; a system plunger assembly held by the lift plate and comprising a plurality of system plungers; and a lift plate drive assembly operably connected to the lift plate. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a flow cell comprising at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes fluid couplings connected to the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet, respectively. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a gasket assembly, which comprises or includes a plurality of flow cell gaskets connected to the fluid coupling. One of the flow cell gaskets comprises or includes a through bore and is connected to the flow cell inlet via a fluid coupling. Another of the flow cell gaskets comprises or includes a through bore and is connected to the flow cell outlet via a fluid coupling. The reagent cartridge is receivable within the reagent cartridge receptacle. The reagent cartridge comprises or includes a flow cell receptacle adapted to receive a flow cell assembly. The reagent cartridge comprises or includes a reagent cartridge plunger assembly comprising or including a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers. When the reagent cartridge is received in the reagent cartridge receptacle and the flow cell is received in the flow cell receptacle, each reagent cartridge plunger is positioned to correspond to the corresponding system plunger in the system plunger assembly and the corresponding flow cell gasket in the flow cell assembly. The reagent cartridge comprises or includes a pair of reagent cartridge ports adapted to be fluid-coupled to a flow cell gasket having a through bore.

[0008] According to the sixth implementation, the apparatus comprises or includes a flow cell assembly and a reagent cartridge. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a flow cell having at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes fluid connectors connected to the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet, respectively. The flow cell assembly comprises or includes a gasket assembly, which is connected to a fluid connector and comprises or includes a plurality of flow cell gaskets. One of the flow cell gaskets comprises or includes a through bore and is connected to the flow cell inlet via a fluid connector. Another of the flow cell gaskets comprises or includes a through bore and is connected to the flow cell outlet via a fluid connector. The reagent cartridge is receivable within a reagent cartridge receptacle. The reagent cartridge comprises or includes a flow cell receptacle adapted to receive the flow cell assembly. The reagent cartridge comprises or includes a reagent cartridge plunger assembly comprising or including a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers. Each reagent cartridge plunger is fitted to align with the corresponding flow cell gasket of the flow cell assembly when the flow cell is received within the flow cell receptacle. The reagent cartridge has or includes a pair of reagent cartridge ports fitted to fluidly connect to a flow cell gasket having a through bore.

[0009] Furthermore, in the aforementioned first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and / or sixth implementations, the apparatus and / or method may further comprise or include one or more of the following:

[0010] In one implementation configuration, the first and second fluid connectors of the flow cell assembly are each general-purpose fluid connectors, so that the flow cell is movable in at least one of the following directions relative to the gasket assembly: perpendicular, longitudinal, or lateral, during which time the inlet gasket is fluidly connected to the first reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge, and the outlet gasket is fluidly connected to the second reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge.

[0011] In another implementation, the method comprises or includes moving the system plunger in the direction opposite to the direction of movement of the lift plate and against the spring force.

[0012] In another implementation configuration, the lift plate applies a first compressive force to the reagent cartridge body, while the spring force and system plunger apply a second, different compressive force to the inlet and outlet gaskets.

[0013] In another implementation, the first fluid coupling and the second fluid coupling are combined.

[0014] In another implementation, the fluid coupling comprises or includes a first fluid coupling and a second fluid coupling.

[0015] In another implementation, the lift plate drive assembly is adapted to linearly move the lift plate and system plunger, the system plunger engages with the reagent cartridge plunger, and the reagent cartridge plunger moves and engages with the gasket assembly, thereby enabling fluid communication between a pair of reagent cartridge ports and the flow cell via the flow cell inlet and flow cell outlet.

[0016] In another implementation, the system plunger comprises or includes a pair of system plungers, and the reagent cartridge plunger comprises or includes a pair of reagent cartridge plungers.

[0017] In another implementation, the flow cell assembly further comprises or includes a leveler gasket.

[0018] In another implementation, the system plunger comprises or includes a leveler system plunger. The reagent cartridge plunger further comprises or includes a leveler reagent cartridge plunger, and the reagent cartridge comprises or includes a reagent cartridge engagement surface.

[0019] In another implementation, the lift plate drive assembly is adapted to linearly move the lift plate and leveler system plunger to engage with the leveler reagent plunger, and to move the leveler reagent plunger to engage with the gasket assembly, thereby enabling engagement between the leveler gasket and the reagent cartridge engagement surface.

[0020] In another implementation, the leveler gasket, flow cell inlet gasket, and flow cell outlet gasket are arranged in a triangular pattern.

[0021] In another implementation, the flow cell assembly comprises or has a flow cell housing that holds the flow cell, fluid coupling, and gasket assembly.

[0022] In another implementation, the flow cell housing has or has a dimensional envelope, and the gasket assembly is located within the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing.

[0023] In another implementation, the flow cell housing has or includes an opening corresponding to each flow cell gasket.

[0024] In another implementation, the openings are arranged such that the reagent cartridge plunger moves the gasket assembly a predetermined distance, after which the flow cell gasket protrudes from the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing.

[0025] In another implementation, the flow cell gasket has or includes a flat surface, and the reagent cartridge has or includes a reagent cartridge engagement surface that faces the flow cell receptacle of the reagent cartridge.

[0026] In another implementation, the flat surface of the flow cell gasket engages with the reagent cartridge engagement surface, arranging a pair of reagent cartridge ports to fluidly connect with the flow cell.

[0027] In another implementation, the reagent cartridge comprises or includes an alignment receptacle facing the flow cell receptacle of the reagent cartridge, and the gasket assembly comprises or has an alignment protrusion adapted to be received by the alignment receptacle.

[0028] In another implementation, the gasket assembly comprises or has a plurality of engagement protrusions that comprise or include corresponding plunger receptacles. Each plunger receptacle is adapted to engage or surround the distal end of a corresponding reagent cartridge plunger.

[0029] In another implementation, the lift plate comprises or includes a plunger bore, and each system plunger is slidably disposed within a corresponding plunger bore.

[0030] In another implementation, springs are disposed in each of the plunger bores.

[0031] In another implementation, the springs act on the system plungers, impart momentum to the distal ends of the system plungers, and engage corresponding reagent cartridge plungers.

[0032] In another implementation, the device comprises or includes a seal held by the system plungers.

[0033] In another implementation, the reagent cartridge comprises or includes a flow cell receptacle adapted to receive a flow cell assembly.

[0034] In another implementation, the general-purpose fluid connector connects the flow cell inlet and the flow cell inlet gasket and connects the flow cell outlet and the flow cell outlet gasket.

[0035] In another implementation, the reagent cartridge plunger assembly comprises or has multiple reagent cartridge plungers. Each reagent cartridge plunger is fitted to align with the corresponding flow cell gasket of the flow cell assembly.

[0036] In another implementation, the flow cell assembly further comprises or includes a leveler gasket, and the reagent cartridge comprises or includes a reagent cartridge engagement surface adapted to engage with the leveler gasket.

[0037] In another implementation, the flow cell inlet gasket, flow cell outlet gasket, and leveler gasket are arranged in a triangular pattern.

[0038] It should be understood that all combinations of the aforementioned concepts and further concepts, which are described in more detail below (on the premise that such concepts are not contradictory), are considered to be part of the subject matter disclosed herein and / or can be combined to achieve specific interests in a particular aspect. Specifically, all combinations of the claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are considered to be part of the subject matter disclosed herein. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0039] [Figure 1A] A schematic diagram of one implementation of the system according to the first example of this disclosure is shown.

[0040] [Figure 1B] A schematic diagram of another exemplary implementation of the system shown in Figure 1A is provided.

[0041] [Figure 1C] Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of another exemplary implementation of the flow cell assembly and reagent cartridge of the system.

[0042] [Figure 2]Figure 1A is an isometric plan view of an exemplary implementation of the flow cell assembly.

[0043] [Figure 3] Figure 2 is an isometric view of the flow cell assembly shown.

[0044] [Figure 4] Figure 2 is an isometric plan view of the flow cell, fluid coupling, and gasket assembly.

[0045] [Figure 5] Figure 2 is an isometric view of the flow cell, fluid coupling, and gasket assembly.

[0046] [Figure 6] Figure 1A is an isometric plan view of an exemplary mounting configuration of the lift plate assembly and reagent cartridge.

[0047] [Figure 7] Figure 6 is an isometric plan view of the lift plate assembly, including an exemplary mounting configuration of the biasing plate.

[0048] [Figure 8] This is an isometric plan view of the lift plate assembly shown in Figure 6, with the biasing plate removed.

[0049] [Figure 9] Figure 6 is an isometric view of the reagent cartridge.

[0050] [Figure 10] Figure 6 is an isometric enlarged cross-sectional view of a reagent cartridge showing the reagent cartridge plunger assembly.

[0051] [Figure 11] Figure 6 is an isometric enlarged cross-sectional view of a reagent cartridge showing the reagent cartridge engagement surface, reagent cartridge port, and alignment receptacle.

[0052] [Figure 12] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge, flow cell assembly, and lift plate assembly, where the lift plate assembly is in the lowered position and the reagent cartridge is received within the reagent cartridge receptacle.

[0053] [Figure 13] Figure 6 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge, flow cell assembly, and lift plate assembly, showing the state after the lift plate drive assembly has moved the system plunger assembly and bias plate toward the reagent cartridge, with the bias plate engaged with the bottom surface of the reagent cartridge.

[0054] [Figure 14] Figure 6 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge, flow cell assembly, and lift plate assembly, showing that after the lift plate drive assembly has moved the system plunger assembly and reagent cartridge further in the direction generally indicated by the arrows, the top surface of the reagent cartridge is engaged and / or adjacent to the internal reagent cartridge receptacle surface of the system.

[0055] [Figure 15] Figure 6 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge, flow cell assembly, and lift plate assembly, showing the heater positioned adjacent to the flow cell and the plunger step of the system plunger engaged with a stopper located within the plunger bore.

[0056] [Figure 16] Figure 6 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge, flow cell assembly, and lift plate assembly, showing the state after the lift plate assembly has moved the lift plate further in the direction roughly indicated by the arrow, with the distal end of the system plunger engaged with the corresponding reagent cartridge plunger.

[0057] [Figure 17] Figure 6 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge, flow cell assembly, and lift plate assembly, showing the reagent cartridge plunger biasing the flow cell gasket to engage with the corresponding reagent cartridge port.

[0058] [Figure 18] Figure 6 is an enlarged isometric cross-sectional view of another mounting configuration of one of the lift plate assemblies and system plungers.

[0059] [Figure 19] Figure 6 is an enlarged isometric cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge and flow cell assembly, showing the reagent cartridge plunger in the extended position and biased to engage the flow cell gasket with the corresponding reagent cartridge port.

[0060] [Figure 20] Figure 1A shows a flowchart for performing a method of fluidizing the flow gasket assembly and reagent cartridge, or any other implementation configuration disclosed herein.

[0061] [Figure 21] Figure 1A shows a method for fluidizing the flow gasket assembly and reagent cartridge, or another flowchart for performing any of the other implementations disclosed herein. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0062] The following text discloses detailed descriptions of implementations of the method, apparatus, and / or product, but it should be understood that the legal scope of ownership is defined by the claims set out at the end of this patent. Therefore, the following “Modes for Carrying Out the Invention” should be interpreted as examples only, and do not describe all possible implementations, as it would be impractical, if not impossible, to describe all possible implementations. Numerous alternative implementations may be carried out using either the current art or art developed after the filing date of this patent. Such alternative examples are still expected to be included within the claims.

[0063] The implementations disclosed herein are directed to a flow cell cartridge having a fluid coupling. The fluid coupling is movable to fluidly communicate with a corresponding reagent cartridge port of a reagent cartridge via a lift plate assembly of a system (sequencing system). In one implementation, the lift plate assembly includes a lift plate that holds a system plunger assembly including at least one system plunger. The reagent cartridge includes a reagent cartridge plunger assembly including at least one reagent cartridge plunger. The reagent cartridge plunger is fitted to align with the corresponding system plunger and the corresponding flow cell gasket of the flow cell assembly.

[0064] As the system's lift plate moves linearly toward the reagent cartridge via the drive assembly, the system plunger engages with the reagent cartridge plunger, moving the reagent cartridge plunger, which in turn moves the gasket assembly containing the flow cell gasket. The flow cell gasket is connected to the flow cell, for example, via a general-purpose fluid coupling. Moving the flow cell gasket enables fluid communication between a pair of reagent cartridge ports and the flow cell, for example, via a general-purpose fluid coupling. A spring can be used to bias the system plunger. The spring can be adapted to prevent the system plunger from compressing the flow cell gasket beyond a threshold amount.

[0065] Figure 1A shows a schematic diagram of an implementation of System 100 according to a first example of the present disclosure. System 100 can be used to perform analysis on one or more target samples. The samples may include one or more DNA clusters linearized to form single-stranded DNA (sstDNA). In the shown implementation, System 100 includes a reagent cartridge receptacle 101 adapted to receive a reagent cartridge 102. The reagent cartridge 102 holds a flow cell assembly 103.

[0066] In the illustrated implementation, system 100 partially comprises a lift plate assembly 104, a drive assembly 106, a controller 108, an imaging system 110, and a waste reservoir 112. The controller 108 is electrically and / or communicatively connected to the lift plate assembly 104, the drive assembly 106, and the imaging system 110, and is adapted to cause the lift plate assembly 104, the drive assembly 106, and / or the imaging system 110 to perform various functions as disclosed herein. The waste reservoir 112 may be selectively receptacleable within a waste reservoir receptacle 113 of system 100, or may be part of a reagent cartridge 102.

[0067] The reagent cartridge 102 and / or the flow cell assembly 103 can hold one or more samples of interest. The lift plate assembly 104 interfaces with the reagent cartridge 102 to load the reagent cartridge 102 into the system 100. The drive assembly 106 interfaces with the reagent cartridge 102 to flow one or more reagents (e.g., A, T, G, C nucleotides) that interact with the sample through the reagent cartridge 102 and / or the flow cell assembly 103.

[0068] In one implementation, a reversible terminator is attached to the reagent to allow a single nucleotide to be incorporated by sstDNA in each cycle. In some such implementations, one or more of the nucleotides have a unique fluorescent label that emits a color when excited. The color (or lack thereof) is used to detect the corresponding nucleotide. In the implementation shown, the imaging system 110 is adapted to excite one or more identifiable labels (e.g., fluorescent labels) and then acquire image data of the identifiable labels. The labels may be excited by incident light and / or laser, and the image data may include one or more colors emitted by each label in response to excitation. The image data (e.g., detection data) may be analyzed by system 100. The imaging system 110 may be a fluorescence spectrophotometer including an objective lens and / or a solid-state imaging device. The solid-state imaging device may include a charge-coupled device (CCD) and / or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS).

[0069] After image data is acquired, the drive assembly 106 interfaces with the reagent cartridge 102 to flow another reactant (e.g., a reagent) through the reagent cartridge 102 and / or the flow cell assembly 103, the reactant then being received by the waste reservoir 112 and / or discharged by the reagent cartridge 102 in other ways. The reactant performs a flushing operation that chemically cleaves the fluorescently labeled and reversible terminator from the sstDNA. The sstDNA is then prepared for another cycle.

[0070] Referring to the lift plate assembly 104 in the shown configuration, the lift plate assembly 104 includes a lift plate 114, a system plunger assembly 116, and a lift plate drive assembly 118. The system plunger assembly 116 may also be called the actuation system and / or may be part of the actuation system. The system plunger assembly 116 is held by the lift plate 114 and includes a number of system plungers 120, 121. The system plungers 120, 121 may be called system pins or system actuators. One or more seals 119 may surround the system plungers 120, 121. The seals 119 may be adapted to seal-engage with, for example, the lift plate 114 and / or other components of the lift plate assembly 104 to prevent fluid from entering the system 100 and / or the lift plate assembly 104. In some configurations, the lift plate assembly 104 includes one or more seats into which the corresponding seals 119 can be mated.

[0071] The lift plate drive assembly 118 is operably connected to the lift plate 114. In an alternative configuration, the system plungers 120, 121 can be combined with a single, wide plunger having one or more contact points. For example, the system plungers 120, 121 may be implemented as a single plunger with three equally spaced projections. Other configurations and / or arrangements of spacing may be found to be preferable.

[0072] The flow cell assembly 103 includes a flow cell 122, fluid couplings 124, 125, and a gasket assembly 126. In some implementations, the fluid couplings 124, 125 may be omitted, the flow cell 122 may be integrated with the gasket assembly 126, and / or in other ways, one or more components of the gasket assembly 126, such as the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 described herein, may be directly integrated with the flow cell 122. The flow cell 122 includes at least one channel 128, a flow cell inlet 130, and a flow cell outlet 132. The channel 128 may be U-shaped or linear and extend across the flow cell 122. Other configurations of the channel 128 may be found to be preferable. If two or more channels 128 are provided, each channel 128 may have its own dedicated flow cell inlet 130 and its own dedicated flow cell outlet 132. A single flow cell inlet 130 can alternatively be fluid-connected to two or more channels 128, for example, via an inlet manifold. A single flow cell outlet 132 can alternatively be connected to two or more channels, for example, via an outlet manifold.

[0073] Fluid couplings 124 and 125 are connected to the flow cell inlet 130 and the flow cell outlet 132, respectively. Fluid coupling 124 may include a first fluid coupling 124 and a second fluid coupling 125. Fluid couplings 124 and 125 can be combined. For example, fluid couplings 124 and 125 may be formed on a single substrate or mounted in other ways. Alternatively, fluid couplings 124 and 125 may be separate (see, for example, Figure 4).

[0074] In one implementation configuration, the fluid connectors 124 and 125 are general-purpose fluid connectors. For example, the fluid connectors 124 and 125 may be formed by a laminated structure. The laminated structure can define the corresponding flow paths. The fluid connectors 124 and 125 may be relatively fragile. Therefore, if a force exceeding a threshold is applied to the fluid connectors 124 and 125, they may be damaged. Furthermore, if a force exceeding a threshold is applied, a seal may not be established between the reagent cartridge 102 and the flow cell assembly 103. In some implementation configurations, the fluid connectors 124 and 125 may be omitted, and the flow cell 122 may be directly connected to the gasket assembly 126 and / or flow cell gaskets 134 and 136 as described herein.

[0075] The disclosed example can be adapted to establish a fluid connection between the reagent cartridge 102 and the fluid connectors 124, 125 of the flow cell assembly 103 without damaging the fluid connectors 124, 125. The fluid connectors 124, 125 may be general-purpose but may be formed in other ways. For example, the fluid connectors 124, 125 may be fixed or less general-purpose. In other configurations, the fluid connectors 124, 125 can be removed and the gasket assembly 126 can be directly connected to the flow cell 122. If the fluid connectors 124, 125 are not provided, or if an approach can be deemed suitable, the lift plate assembly 104 can apply a different compression to the reagent cartridge 102 and / or flow cell assembly 103 than the compression applied to the gasket assembly 126. In this way, the reagent cartridge 102 / flow cell assembly 103 can be secured without damaging the gasket assembly 126.

[0076] In the shown configuration, the gasket assembly 126 is connected to fluid connectors 124, 125. The gasket assembly 126 includes a plurality of flow cell gaskets 134, 136. The flow cell gaskets 134, 136 may be elastic gaskets. One of the flow cell gaskets 134 (sometimes called a flow cell inlet gasket) has a through bore 138 and is connected to a flow cell inlet 130 via a fluid connector 124. Another of the flow cell gaskets 136 (sometimes called a flow cell outlet gasket) includes a through bore 138 and is connected to a flow cell outlet 132 via a fluid connector 125. The flow cell gasket 136 having a through bore 138 may be adapted to selectively communicate fluidly with a pair of reagent cartridge ports 140 of the fluid interface 142 of a reagent cartridge 102.

[0077] Another type of flow cell gasket 136 is sometimes called a leveler flow cell gasket. The leveler flow cell gasket 136 may be fitted to engage with the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144 of the fluid interface 142. The reagent cartridge engagement surface 144 faces the flow cell receptacle 146 of the reagent cartridge 102. The flow cell gaskets 134 may be arranged in a triangular pattern (see, for example, Figure 2). The triangular pattern may allow a repeatable fluid connection to be constructed between the flow cell gasket 134 and the reagent cartridge port 140. The triangular pattern may also allow the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 of the gasket assembly 126 to be planar with or flat relative to the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144. The triangular pattern may allow the gasket assembly 126 to evenly distribute and / or consistently apply force to the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144. The leveler flow cell gasket 136 may allow the flow cell gasket 134 to engage with the reagent cartridge port 140 on the same plane.

[0078] In the shown configuration, the reagent cartridge 102 includes a flow cell receptacle 146, a reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148, and a pair of reagent cartridge ports 140. The reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148 may also be called the actuation system and / or may be part of the actuation system. The flow cell receptacle 146 is adapted to receive the flow cell assembly 103. The reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148 includes a number of reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151. The reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 may be called reagent cartridge pins or reagent cartridge actuators. In some configurations, the reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148 may be omitted, so that the system plunger assembly 116 engages directly with the gasket assembly 126.

[0079] As shown, when the reagent cartridge 102 is received in the reagent cartridge receptacle 101 and the flow cell assembly 103 is received in the flow cell receptacle 146, each reagent cartridge plunger 150, 151 aligns with the corresponding system plungers 120, 121 and the corresponding flow cell gaskets 134, 136. A pair of reagent cartridge ports 140 are adapted to be fluidly connected to the flow cell gasket 134 having a through bore 138. In other configurations, the reagent cartridge 102 may not include the reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148.

[0080] During operation, the lift plate drive assembly 118 is adapted to move the lift plate 114 and system plungers 120, 121 linearly. The lift plate assembly 104 and / or the lift plate drive assembly 118 may be adapted to synchronize / coordinate the movement of various components of the reagent cartridge 102 and the flow cell assembly 103. The lift plate assembly 104 and / or the lift plate drive assembly 118 may be adapted, for example, to synchronize / coordinate the clamping force applied to the reagent cartridge 102 to clamp the reagent cartridge 102 into the reagent cartridge receptacle 101 and / or to clamp the flow cell assembly 103 in the flow cell receptacle 146.

[0081] The movement of the lift plate 114 engages the system plungers 120, 121 with the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151, moving the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 to engage with or otherwise interface with the gasket assembly 126. In configurations where the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 are removed, the system plungers 120, 121 may be arranged to directly contact or otherwise interface with the gasket assembly 126. The engagement between the reagent cartridge plunger 150 and the gasket assembly 126 imparts momentum to the flow cell gaskets 134, 136, which engage with the reagent cartridge port 140. The engagement between the reagent cartridge plunger 150 and the gasket assembly 126 enables fluid communication between the pair of reagent cartridge ports 140 and the flow cell 122 via the flow cell inlet 130 and the flow cell outlet 132. Thus, the system plungers 120, 121 are adapted to actuate the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151. The reagent cartridge plungers 150 and 151 are adapted to actuate the flow cell gaskets 134 and 136 to establish a fluid connection with the reagent cartridge port 140. In some examples, a sealing seal is formed between the flow cell gasket 134 and the reagent cartridge port 140. This sealing seal may allow fluid communication between the reagent cartridge 102 and the flow cell assembly 103.

[0082] The system plunger 120 includes a pair of system plungers 120, the reagent cartridge plunger 150 includes a pair of reagent cartridge plungers 150, and the flow cell gasket 134 includes a pair of flow cell gaskets 134 having a through bore 138. The pair of system plungers 120, the pair of reagent cartridge plungers 150, and the pair of flow cell gaskets 134 are associated with fluid coupling the flow cell 122 and the pair of reagent cartridge ports 140. In the schematic diagram of Figure 1A, the pair of system plungers 120, the pair of reagent cartridge plungers 150, and the pair of flow cell gaskets 134 are shown on the left and right sides of the system plunger assembly 116, the reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148, and the gasket assembly 126. However, the pair of system plungers 120, the pair of reagent cartridge plungers 150, and the pair of flow cell gaskets 134 may be in different arrangements.

[0083] In the shown implementation, the system plungers 120 and 121 include the leveler system plunger 121, and the reagent cartridge plungers 150 and 151 include the leveler reagent cartridge plunger 151. The lift plate drive assembly 118 is adapted to linearly move the lift plate 114 and the leveler system plunger 121 to engage with the gasket assembly 126, and to move the leveler reagent cartridge plunger 151 to engage with the gasket assembly 126. The engagement between the leveler reagent cartridge plunger 151 and the gasket assembly 126 allows the leveler flow cell gasket 136 to engage with the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144, thereby providing stability of the gasket assembly 126 relative to the reagent cartridge 102.

[0084] The lift plate assembly 104 also includes a biasing plate 153. The biasing plate 153 is fitted to engage with the reagent cartridge 102. The engagement between the biasing plate 153 and the reagent cartridge 102 allows the reagent cartridge 102 to be fixed in place within the reagent cartridge receptacle 102.

[0085] In the provided implementation, the lift plate assembly 104 includes a heater 154. A controller 108 is electrically and / or communicatively coupled to the heater 154 to perform various functions disclosed herein. A lift plate drive assembly 118 is adapted to move the lift plate 114 and heater 154 linearly toward the flow cell 122. The heater 154 interfaces with the flow cell 122 to control the temperature of the flow cell 122 during one or more operations of the system 100 and / or analyses performed.

[0086] Returning to the reagent cartridge 102, in the shown configuration, the reagent cartridge 102 includes a reagent reservoir 155, a reagent cartridge body 156, one or more valves 158, and a fluid line 160. The reagent reservoir 155 may contain a fluid (e.g., a reagent and / or another reactant), and the valves 158 may be selectively actuated to control the flow of fluid through the fluid line 160. One or more of the valves 158 may be implemented as rotary valves, pinch valves, flat valves, solenoid valves, check valves, piezoelectric valves, etc. The reagent cartridge body 156 may be formed from solid plastic using injection molding and / or additive manufacturing techniques. In some configurations, the reagent reservoir 155 is formed integrally with the reagent cartridge body 156. In other configurations, the reagent reservoir 155 is formed separately and connected to the reagent cartridge body 156.

[0087] The reagent cartridge 102 can be in fluid communication with the flow cell assembly 103, for example, through the interaction between a pair of reagent cartridge ports 140 and flow cell gaskets 134, 136. In the shown configuration, the flow cell assembly 103 may be inserted into the reagent cartridge 102, held by the reagent cartridge 102, and received by the flow cell receptacle 146. Alternatively, the flow cell assembly 103 may be integrated with the reagent cartridge 102. In such a configuration, the flow cell receptacle 146 may not be included, or at least the flow cell assembly may not be removablely receivable within the reagent cartridge 102.

[0088] Referring here to the drive assembly 106, in the shown implementation, the drive assembly 106 includes a pump drive assembly 162 and a valve drive assembly 164. The pump drive assembly 162 is adapted to interface with one or more pumps 166 to pump fluid through the reagent cartridge 102. The pumps 166 can be implemented by syringe pumps, peristaltic pumps, diaphragm pumps, etc. The pumps 166 may be positioned between the flow cell assembly 103 and the waste reservoir 112, but in other implementations, the pumps 166 may be positioned upstream of the flow cell 122 or may be omitted entirely.

[0089] The valve drive assembly 164 is adapted to interface with one or more valves 158 and control the position of the valves 158. In one implementation, the valve 158 is implemented by a rotary valve having a first position that blocks the flow to the flow cell 122 and a second position that allows the flow from the reagent reservoir 155 to the flow cell 122. However, the valve 158 can be positioned in any number of positions to allow any one or more of the first reagent, buffer reagent, second reagent, etc., to flow into the flow cell 122. In such an implementation, the valve drive assembly 164 may include a shaft that acts on the valve 158 to perform the action of allowing reagents from one or more of the reagent reservoirs 155 to flow through the flow cell 122.

[0090] Referring to controller 108, in the disclosed implementation, controller 108 includes a user interface 168, a communication interface 170, one or more processors 172, and a memory 174 that stores instructions executable by one or more processors 172 for performing various functions, including those in the disclosed implementation. The user interface 168, the communication interface 170, and the memory 174 are electrically and / or communicatively connected to one or more processors 172.

[0091] In one implementation, the user interface 168 is adapted to receive input from the user and provide the user with information related to the operation of the system 100 and / or the analysis performed. The user interface 168 may include a touchscreen, display, keyboard, speaker, mouse, trackball, and / or voice recognition system. The touchscreen and / or display may show a graphical user interface (GUI).

[0092] In one implementation, the communication interface 170 is adapted to enable communication between system 100 and a remote system (e.g., a computer) over a network. Examples of networks include the Internet, intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), coaxial cable network, wireless network, wired network, satellite network, digital subscriber line (DSL) network, cellular network, Bluetooth connection, and near-field communication (NFC) connection. Some of the communication provided to the remote system may be associated with analysis results, imaging data, etc., generated by system 100 or acquired by other means. Some of the communication provided to system 100 may be associated with fluid analysis operations, patient records, and / or protocols performed by system 100.

[0093] One or more processors 172 and / or system 100 may include one or more processor-based systems or microprocessor-based systems. In some implementations, one or more processors 172 and / or system 100 may include one or more programmable processors, programmable controllers, microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced-instruction-set computers (RISCs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), field-programmable logic devices (FPLDs), logic circuits, and / or other logic-based devices that perform various functions, including those described herein.

[0094] Memory 174 includes semiconductor memory, magnetically readable memory, optical memory, hard disk drives (HDDs), optical storage drives, solid-state storage devices, solid-state drives (SSDs), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random-access memory (RAM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), compact discs (CDs), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROMs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), Blu-ray discs, and redundant arrays of independent discs. This may include one or more of the following: disks, RAID systems, caches, and / or any other storage devices or storage disks on which information is stored for any duration (e.g., permanently, temporarily, over a long period, for buffering, for caching).

[0095] Figure 1B shows a schematic diagram of another exemplary implementation of the system 100 of Figure 1A. In the implementation shown in Figure 1B, the system 100 includes a reagent cartridge receptacle 101 and a lift plate assembly 104. The lift plate assembly 104 includes a lift plate 114, a system plunger assembly 116, and a lift plate drive assembly 118. The system plunger assembly 116 is held by the lift plate 114 and includes a number of system plungers 120. The lift plate drive assembly 118 is operably connected to the lift plate 114.

[0096] The flow cell assembly 103 includes a flow cell 122 having at least one channel 128, a flow cell inlet 130, and a flow cell outlet 132. The flow cell assembly 103 also includes fluid connectors 124 and 125 connected to the flow cell inlet 130 and the flow cell outlet 132, respectively. The flow cell assembly 103 also includes a gasket assembly 126 connected to the fluid connectors 124 and 125. The gasket assembly 126 includes a flow cell inlet gasket 134 and a flow cell outlet gasket 134. The flow cell inlet gasket 134 includes a through bore 138 and is connected to the flow cell inlet 130 via the fluid connectors 124 and 125. The flow cell outlet gasket 134 includes a through bore 138 and is connected to the flow cell outlet 132 via the fluid connectors 124 and 125.

[0097] In the shown configuration, the reagent cartridge 102 is receivable within the reagent cartridge receptacle 101 and includes a reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148 and a pair of reagent cartridge ports 140. The reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148 includes a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers 150. Each reagent cartridge plunger 150 is fitted to align with the corresponding system plunger 120 of the system plunger assembly 116 and the corresponding flow cell gasket 134 of the flow cell assembly 103 when the reagent cartridge 102 is received within the reagent cartridge receptacle 101. The pair of reagent cartridge ports 140 are fitted to fluidly connect to the flow cell inlet gasket 134 and the flow cell outlet gasket 134.

[0098] Figure 1C shows a schematic diagram of another exemplary implementation configuration of the flow cell assembly 103 and reagent cartridge 102 of system 100 in Figure 1A. In the shown configuration, the flow cell assembly 103 includes a flow cell 122 and a gasket assembly 126. The flow cell 103 includes at least one channel 128, a flow cell inlet 130, and a flow cell outlet 132. The gasket assembly 126 is operably coupled to the flow cell 103 and includes a flow cell inlet gasket 134 and a flow cell outlet gasket 134. The flow cell inlet gasket 134 includes a through bore 138 and is coupled to the flow cell inlet 130. The flow cell outlet gasket 134 includes a through bore 138 and is coupled to the flow cell outlet 132. The reagent cartridge 102 is fitted to hold the flow cell assembly 103 and includes a pair of reagent cartridge ports 140. The reagent port 140 is adapted to be fluid-connected to the flow cell inlet gasket 134 and the flow cell outlet gasket 134.

[0099] Figure 2 is an isometric plan view of an exemplary configuration of the flow cell assembly 103 of Figure 1A. The flow cell assembly 103 includes a flow cell housing 176. The flow cell housing 176 includes an upper housing surface 178, a bottom housing surface 180, and a side housing surface 182. The upper housing surface 178, the bottom housing surface 180, and the side housing surface 182 form a housing. As shown, the housing may have one or more openings. In the shown configuration, the upper housing surface 178 may include one or more plane surfaces.

[0100] The flow cell housing 176 holds the flow cell 122, fluid couplings 124, 125 (clearly shown in Figure 4), and gasket assembly 126. In the shown configuration, the flow cell housing 176 has a dimensional envelope, and the gasket assembly 126 is positioned within the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing 176. By positioning the gasket assembly 126 within the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing 176, the gasket assembly 126 and / or the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 can be positioned so that they do not protrude from the housing, so that the flow cell assembly 103 can be received into and / or held within the flow cell receptacle 146 without damage to the gasket assembly 126 and / or the flow cell gaskets 134, 136. For example, if the gasket assembly 126 extends outside the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing 176, the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 may inadvertently engage with the structure of the reagent cartridge 102 during assembly and / or transport, damaging and / or otherwise affecting the fluid connectable condition established between the gasket assembly 126 and the pair of reagent cartridge ports 140.

[0101] Furthermore, the flow cell housing 176 includes openings 184, 186 corresponding to the flow cell gaskets 134, 136, respectively. The openings 184, 186 are arranged in a triangular pattern. The upper housing surface 178 defines the openings 184, 186. In the shown configuration, opening 184 is circular, and opening 186 is oval and / or teardrop-shaped. The openings 184, 186 defined by the upper housing surface 178 are arranged to allow the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 to protrude from the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing 176 after the reagent cartridge plunger 150 has moved the gasket assembly 126 by a predetermined distance.

[0102] The flow cell gaskets 134 and 136 have a circular cross-section. They also include a flat surface 188. The flat surface 188 of the flow cell gaskets 134 and 136 may be arranged to engage and / or compress against the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144 when a pair of reagent cartridge ports 140 communicate with the flow cell 122 via the flow cell inlet 130 and the flow cell outlet 132. The flat surface 188 of the flow cell gaskets 134 and 136 may be fitted to be pressed coplanar against the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144. The interaction between the flat surface 188 and the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144 may allow the force applied by the gasket assembly 126 to be evenly distributed against the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144. The interaction between the flat surface 188 and the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144 may allow a sealing bond to form between the flow cell gasket 134 and the reagent cartridge port 140.

[0103] The gasket assembly 126 also includes an alignment projection 190. The alignment projection 190 is fitted to be received by the alignment receptacle 191 of the reagent cartridge 102 (see Figure 1A). The alignment projection 190 extends from the gasket surface 192 toward the upper housing surface 178 and is positioned in close proximity to the flow cell gasket 134. The oval opening 186 is dimensioned so that the alignment projection 190 can extend through the oval opening 186. For example, the alignment projection 190 can propel itself outward from the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing 176 through the oval opening 186 after the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 engage with the gasket assembly 126 and move the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 by a threshold distance. Therefore, the alignment projection 190 engages with the alignment receptacle 191 of the reagent cartridge 102, allowing the through bore 138 of the flow cell gasket 134 of the gasket assembly 126 to be aligned with the corresponding opening of the reagent cartridge port 140 before or simultaneously with the formation of a sealing seal or a substantial sealing seal.

[0104] Figure 3 is an isometric bottom view of the flow cell assembly 103 shown in Figure 2. The bottom housing surface 180 of the flow cell assembly 103 includes an opening 193. Although the opening 193 is circular in this configuration, other geometric shapes such as slots or ellipses can be used. The opening 193 is opposite to the openings 184 and 186 on the upper housing surface 178. The openings 193 are arranged in a triangular pattern. The openings 193 are fitted to receive reagent cartridge plungers 150 and 151 so that they can interface with the gasket assembly 126. The bottom housing surface 180 also includes a heater opening 194. The heater opening 194 may be fitted to allow the heater 154 to interface with the flow cell 122 and / or the carrier plate supporting the flow cell 122. For example, the heater opening 194 may be fitted to receive the heater 154.

[0105] Figure 4 is an isometric plan view of the flow cell 122, fluid couplings 124, 125, and gasket assembly 126 of Figure 2 with the housing removed. In the shown configuration, the alignment projection 190 is conical or includes a conical end. The conical end of the alignment projection 190 is receivable within the alignment receptacle 191. The conical end of the alignment projection 190 can be adapted to align the gasket assembly 126 and the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 as the gasket assembly 126 moves toward the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144.

[0106] Figure 5 is an isometric bottom view of the flow cell 122, fluid couplings 124, 125, and gasket assembly 126 of Figure 2. In the shown configuration, the gasket assembly 126 includes a plurality of engaging projections 195. The engaging projections 195 extend from the bottom surface 196 of the gasket assembly 126. The engaging projections 195 are formed by intersecting ribs. The engaging projections 195 may include a plunger receptacle 198. The plunger receptacle 198 is positioned at the intersection of the ribs. The plunger receptacle 198 may be adapted to receive the distal ends 200 (see Figure 18) of reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 and / or system plungers 120, 121. In another implementation, the plunger receptacle 198 is surrounded by the distal ends 200 of the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 and / or system plungers 120, 121. The distal ends 200 of the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 may be bore cylinders. The bore cylinders of the distal ends 200 can interface with and / or surround the plunger receptacle 198 by engaging with the ribs of the engaging projection 195. Engaging the distal ends 200, including the bore cylinder, with the engaging projection 195 may allow for a more even distribution of the forces applied by the reagent cartridge plungers 150 and / or 151 and the forces applied to the engaging projection 195. In some implementations, the engaging projection 195 may be omitted, and the distal ends 200 of the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 may engage directly with the bottom surface of the gasket assembly 126.

[0107] Figure 6 is an isometric plan view of an exemplary mounting configuration of the lift plate assembly 104 and reagent cartridge 102 shown in Figure 1A. In the shown mounting configuration, the lift plate assembly 104 includes a lift plate 114. The reagent cartridge 102 is positioned on the lift plate 114 with the flow cell assembly 103 shown inserted into the reagent cartridge 102. The reagent cartridge 102 includes a flow cell receptacle 146 adapted to receive the flow cell assembly 103.

[0108] Figure 7 is an isometric plan view of the lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6, including an exemplary configuration of the biasing plate 153. In the configuration shown, the biasing plate 153 includes a plurality of biasing plate through bores 204. System plungers 120, 121 are arranged to extend through the biasing plate through bores 204, allowing the system plungers 120, 121 to align and interface with the corresponding reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151. The biasing plate through bores 204 are arranged in a triangular pattern. The lift plate assembly 104 also includes a plurality of springs 206. One or more of the springs 206 are positioned between the heater assembly holding the heater 154 and the lift plate 114. The springs 206 may be adapted to increase the force in the opposite direction as the heater 154, biasing plate 153, and / or system plungers 120, 121 move toward and / or engage with the corresponding portion of the reagent cartridge 102. The spring 206 may have a spring force based on Hooke's Law for springs in order to prevent damage to the corresponding part and / or to facilitate the construction of a sealing bond between the reagent cartridge 102 and the flow cell assembly 103.

[0109] Figure 8 is an isometric plan view of the lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6 with the biasing plate 153 removed. Thus, the system plunger assembly 116 and system plungers 120, 121 are shown. The lift plate 114 defines the plunger bore 207. Each of the system plungers 120, 121 is slidably positioned inside the corresponding one of the plunger bores 207. Springs 208 (see, for example, Figure 12) may be housed inside each of the plunger bores 207. The springs 208 may be arranged to act on the system plungers 120, 121 such that a force in the opposite direction increases as the distal ends 210 of each of the system plungers 120, 121 move to engage with the corresponding reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151. The springs 208 acting on the system plungers 120, 221 may be adapted to prevent the system plungers 120, 121 from compressing the corresponding flow cell gaskets 134, 136 beyond a threshold amount based on Hooke's Law for springs. Overcompression of the flow cell gaskets 134, 136 may cause damage and / or prevent the seal from being constructed.

[0110] Figure 9 is an isometric bottom view of the reagent cartridge 102 of Figure 6. In the shown configuration, the reagent cartridge 102 includes a bottom surface 211. The bottom surface 211 defines a plurality of reagent cartridge bores 212. System plungers 120, 121 extend through the reagent cartridge bores 212 and are arranged to interface with reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 housed within the reagent cartridge 102. The reagent cartridge bores 212 are arranged in a triangular pattern corresponding to the pattern of the system plungers 120, 121. The reagent cartridge 102 also includes a receptacle 214. The receptacle 214 may be arranged to receive a heater 154 and / or to allow the heater 154 to interface with a flow cell 122 and / or a carrier plate to which the flow cell 122 is mounted.

[0111] Figure 10 is an isometric enlarged cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102 of Figure 6, showing the reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148. In the shown configuration, the reagent cartridge body 156 of the reagent cartridge 102 includes a plunger bore 216. The plunger bore 216 is aligned with the reagent cartridge bore 212. The plunger bore 216 accommodates the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151. The reagent cartridge 102 includes a projection 218. The projection 218 defines the plunger bore 216. However, the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 may be held by the reagent cartridge 102 in different ways. The distal ends 200 of the reagent cartridge plungers 150, 151 may include a sheet 222. The sheet 222 may be adapted to receive and / or interface with the plunger receptacle 198 of the gasket assembly 126. The reagent cartridge plungers 150 and 151 include a proximal end (not shown) opposite to the distal end 200 that engages with the distal end 210 of the system plungers 120 and 121.

[0112] Figure 11 is an isometric enlarged cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102 of Figure 6, showing the fluid interface 142, the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144, the reagent cartridge port 140, and the alignment receptacle 191. The alignment receptacle 191 may have a conical surface corresponding to the conical surface of the alignment projection 190. In the shown configuration, the reagent cartridge engagement surface 144 may include a sheet 224. The sheet 224 may be adapted to receive a flow cell gasket 136 that does not have a through bore 138. The reagent cartridge port 140 may include a port sheet 226. The port sheet 226 may be adapted to receive a flow cell gasket 136. The port sheet 226 may facilitate the formation of a sealing seal with the flow cell gasket 136 having a through bore 138.

[0113] Figures 12 to 17 illustrate the process of loading / securing the reagent cartridge 102 into the reagent cartridge receptacle 101 and establishing a fluid connection between the reagent cartridge 102 and the flow cell assembly 103.

[0114] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102, flow cell assembly 103, and lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6, with the lift plate assembly 104 in the lowered position and the reagent cartridge 102 received in the reagent cartridge receptacle 101. The flow cell assembly 103 is received in the flow cell receptacle 146 of the reagent cartridge 102. In the shown configuration, the system plunger 120 includes a wide portion 228 and a narrow portion 230. The wide portion 228 may have a circular cross-section. The narrow portion may have a circular cross-section. However, either the wide portion 228 and / or the narrow portion 230 may have different cross-sections. A plunger step 232 is formed between the wide portion 228 and the narrow portion 230.

[0115] Figure 13 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102, flow cell assembly 103, and lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6, showing the biasing plate 153 engaging with the bottom surface 211 of the reagent cartridge 102 after the lift plate drive assembly 118 has moved the system plunger assembly 116 and biasing plate 153 toward the reagent cartridge 102. The lift plate 114 is lifted from the base 233 of the lift plate assembly 104 using the screw drive of the lift plate drive assembly 118. The top surface 234 of the reagent cartridge 102 is initially spaced apart from the internal reagent cartridge receptacle surface 236 of the system 100 when the biasing plate 153 engages with the bottom surface 211 of the reagent cartridge 102.

[0116] Figure 14 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102, flow cell assembly 103, and lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6, showing the top surface 234 of the reagent cartridge 102 engaged and / or adjacent to the internal reagent cartridge receptacle surface 236 of the system 100 after the lift plate drive assembly 118 has further moved the system plunger assembly 116 and the reagent cartridge 102 in the direction generally indicated by arrow 238. That is, when the lift plate assembly 104 is driven vertically (see arrow 238), the biasing plate 153 and the internal reagent cartridge receptacle surface 236 together clamp the reagent cartridge 102 between them. In some implementations, components of the valve drive assembly 164 and / or pump drive assembly 162 can engage with the corresponding valve 158 and / or pump 166.

[0117] Figure 15 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102, flow cell assembly 103, and lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6, showing that the heater 154 is positioned adjacent to the flow cell 122, and the plunger step 232 of the system plunger 120 is engaged with a stopper 240 provided in the plunger bore 207 as a result of a spring in the plunger bore 207 biasing the wider portion 228 of the system plunger 120 against the plunger step 232. That is, when the lift plate assembly 104 is driven vertically (see arrow 238), the surface of the heater 154 can contact the carrier plate 241 that holds the flow cell 122, thereby lifting or floating the flow cell 122 and the carrier plate 241 in the flow cell assembly 103. The distal end 210 of the system plunger 120 is spaced apart from the corresponding reagent cartridge plunger 150 but is aligned with the corresponding reagent cartridge bore 212. The heater 154 is shown to be engaged with the carrier plate 241 of the flow cell assembly 103.

[0118] Figure 16 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102, flow cell assembly 103, and lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6, showing the distal end 210 of the system plunger 120 engaged with the corresponding proximal end of the corresponding reagent cartridge plunger 150 after the lift plate assembly 104 has moved the lift plate 114 further in the direction roughly indicated by arrow 238. That is, when the lift plate assembly 104 is driven vertically (see arrow 238), the distal end 200 of the corresponding reagent cartridge plunger 150 aligns with the corresponding plunger receptacle 198 of the gasket assembly 126, and begins to fluidly connect the flow cell gasket 134 to the corresponding reagent cartridge port 140.

[0119] Figure 17 is another cross-sectional view of the reagent cartridge 102, flow cell assembly 103, and lift plate assembly 104 of Figure 6, showing the reagent cartridge plunger 150 biasing the flow cell gasket 134 to engage with the corresponding reagent cartridge port 140. That is, when the lift plate assembly 104 is driven vertically (see arrow 238), each reagent cartridge plunger 150 engages with the corresponding plunger receptacle 198 of the gasket assembly 126 and / or the surface of the gasket assembly 126. The alignment projection 190 first engages with the alignment receptacle 191 to self-align, thereby aligning the through bore 138 of the flow cell gasket 134 with the reagent cartridge port 140. As the lift plate assembly 104 continues to be driven vertically, the flow cell gasket 134 is compressed against the reagent cartridge port 140, forming a compression seal. The compression seal may be a sealing seal. To avoid excessive compression of the flow cell gasket 134, the spring in the plunger bore 207 can be selected to have a spring constant such that the system plunger 120 can compress the spring in the plunger bore 207, such that the plunger step 232 of the system plunger 120 is shown spaced apart from the stop 240 provided in the plunger bore 207. In particular, the system plunger 120 moves in the opposite direction to the movement of the lift plate 114 (see arrow 238), preventing the system plunger 120 from compressing the flow cell gasket 134 beyond a threshold amount against the spring force of the spring 208. The spring 208 may have a spring force sufficient to give momentum to the flow cell gasket 134 and engage with the corresponding reagent cartridge port 140, enabling fluid communication between the reagent cartridge port 140 and the flow cell gasket 134. The spring force of spring 208 may allow a sealing seal to be constructed between the flow gasket 134 and the corresponding reagent cartridge port 140.

[0120] Figure 18 is an enlarged isometric cross-sectional view of another mounting configuration of one of the lift plate assembly 104 and system plunger 120 in Figure 6. In the mounting configuration shown, the system plunger 120 holds a seal 119, sometimes referred to as a gasket. The seal 119 is fitted to seal-engage with the lift plate 114 at the inlet 242 of the plunger bore 207. The engagement between the seal 119 and the lift plate 114 prevents fluid from entering the plunger bore 207.

[0121] The biasing plate 153 includes a biasing plate sheet 243. The biasing plate sheet 243 faces the lift plate 114. The biasing plate sheet 243 can receive the seal 119 when the reagent cartridge plunger 150 is in the extended position (see, for example, Figure 16).

[0122] The seal 119 may alternatively be located at different positions along the system plunger 120. In these other configurations, the biasing plate sheet 243 may be located at different positions accordingly. For example, the seal 119 may be coupled adjacent to the distal end 200 of the system plunger 120. In such a configuration, the seal 119 may be arranged to seal-engage with the biasing plate surface 246 of the biasing plate 153. Alternatively, the biasing plate sheet 243 may be arranged to receive the seal 119 on the biasing plate surface 246. Other arrangements may be found to be preferable. The system plunger 120 defines a plunger groove 248. The seal 119 includes a through hole 250 that allows the seal 119 to surround the system plunger 120. The seal 119 is received within the plunger groove 248.

[0123] Figure 19 is an enlarged isometric section of the reagent cartridge 102 and flow cell assembly 103 of Figure 6, showing the reagent cartridge plunger 150 in the extended position, biasing the flow cell gasket 134 and engaging with the corresponding reagent cartridge port 140. The extended position is sometimes referred to as the working position. The reagent cartridge plunger 150 includes a flange 252. The flange 252 is fitted to engage with a stop 254 of a projection 218 that defines a portion of the plunger bore 216. The flange 252 includes a lip 256 that faces downward in the orientation shown in Figure 19. The lip 256 may have an umbrella shape. The lip 256 may be arranged to surround the stop 254.

[0124] Figures 20 and 21 show flowcharts for performing the method of fluidly connecting the flow gasket assembly 126 and reagent cartridge 102 of Figure 1A, or any other implementation configuration disclosed herein. In the flowchart of Figure 20, blocks enclosed by solid lines may be included in the implementation configuration of process 900, and blocks enclosed by dashed lines may be optional in the implementation configuration of process 900. However, regardless of the way the block boundaries are presented in Figures 20 and 21, the execution order of the blocks may be changed, and / or some of the blocks described may be changed, excluded, combined, and / or subdivided into multiple blocks.

[0125] Process 300 in Figure 20 begins with linearly moving the lift plate 114 and the system plunger assembly 116, held by the lift plate 114, toward the reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148 of the reagent cartridge 102 (block 302). The system plunger assembly 116 includes at least one system plunger 120, and the reagent plunger assembly 148 includes at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150. In response to at least one system plunger 120 contacting at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150, at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150 acts by a first predetermined distance to contact the gasket assembly 126 of the flow cell assembly 103 (block 304).

[0126] The flow cell assembly 103 includes a flow cell 122 having at least one channel 128, a flow cell inlet 130, and a flow cell outlet 132. A first fluid coupling 124 is connected to the flow cell inlet 130, and a second fluid coupling 125 is connected to the flow cell outlet 132. In some implementations, the first fluid coupling 124 and the second fluid coupling 125 are combined. For example, the first and second fluid couplings 124, 125 may be formed from a single substrate having fluid lines for connecting the flow cell gasket 134 and the flow cell 122. The substrate may be general-purpose. In some implementations, the first and second fluid couplings 124, 125 may be omitted, and the flow cell gasket 134 and the flow cell 122 may be directly fluid-connected.

[0127] The gasket assembly 126 is connected to the first and second fluid couplings 124 and 125. The gasket assembly 126 includes an inlet gasket 134 having a through bore 138, which is connected to the flow cell inlet 130 via the first fluid coupling 124. The gasket assembly 126 also includes an outlet gasket 134, which has a through bore 138, and is connected to the flow cell outlet 132 via the second fluid coupling 125.

[0128] In response to at least one system plunger 120 acting on at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150 by a second predetermined distance, the inlet gasket 134 is fluidly connected to the first reagent cartridge port 140 of the reagent cartridge 102, and the outlet gasket 134 is fluidly connected to the second reagent cartridge port 140 of the reagent cartridge 102, enabling fluid communication between the reagent cartridge ports 140 and the flow cell 103 via the flow cell inlet 130 and the flow cell outlet 132 (block 306). The system plunger 120 can move in the opposite direction to the movement of the lift plate 114 and against a spring force (block 308). The spring force can be applied by a spring 206. The lift plate 114 applies a first compressive force to the reagent cartridge body 156, and the spring force and the system plunger 120 can apply a second different compressive force to the inlet gasket 134 and the outlet gasket 134. Therefore, springs 206 and 208 may have different spring forces or apply different forces to the corresponding components in other ways, so that the reagent cartridge 102 is securely clamped by the lift plate, while the flow cell gasket 134 is not excessively compressed against the reagent cartridge port 140.

[0129] In some implementations, the first and second fluid couplings 124 of the flow cell assembly 103 are general-purpose fluid couplings, so that the flow cell 103 can move in at least one of the vertical, longitudinal, or transverse directions, during which the inlet gasket 134 is fluid-coupled to the first reagent cartridge port 140 of the reagent cartridge 102, and the outlet gasket 134 is fluid-coupled to the second reagent cartridge port 140 of the reagent cartridge 102.

[0130] Process 400 in Figure 21 begins with linearly moving the lift plate 114 and the system plunger assembly 116, held by the lift plate 114, toward the reagent cartridge plunger assembly 148 of the reagent cartridge 102 (block 402). The system plunger assembly 116 includes at least one system plunger 120, and the reagent plunger assembly 148 includes at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150. In response to at least one system plunger 120 contacting at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150, at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150 acts by a first predetermined distance to contact the gasket assembly 126 of the flow cell assembly 103 (block 404).

[0131] The flow cell assembly 103 includes a flow cell 122 having at least one channel 128, a flow cell inlet 130, and a flow cell outlet 132. A first fluid coupling 124 is connected to the flow cell inlet 130, and a second fluid coupling 125 is connected to the flow cell outlet 132. A gasket assembly 126 is connected to the first and second fluid couplings 124 and 125. The gasket assembly 126 includes an inlet gasket 134, which has a through bore 138 and is connected to the flow cell inlet 130 via the first fluid coupling 124. The gasket assembly 126 also includes an outlet gasket 134, which has a through bore 138 and is connected to the flow cell outlet 132 via the second fluid coupling 125. In some implementations, the first and second fluid connectors 124 and 125 may be omitted, and the flow cell gasket 134 and flow cell 122 may be directly connected to the fluid.

[0132] In response to at least one system plunger 120 acting on at least one reagent cartridge plunger 150 by a second predetermined distance, the inlet gasket 134 is fluidly connected to the first reagent cartridge port 140 of the reagent cartridge 102, and the outlet gasket 134 is fluidly connected to the second reagent cartridge port 140 of the reagent cartridge 102, enabling fluid communication between the pair of reagent cartridge ports 140 and the flow cell 103 via the flow cell inlet 130 and the flow cell outlet 132 (block 406).

[0133] The method involves linearly moving a lift plate and a system plunger assembly held by the lift plate toward the reagent cartridge plunger assembly of a regent cartridge, wherein the system plunger assembly includes at least one system plunger and the reagent plunger assembly includes at least one reagent cartridge plunger; and, in response to at least one system plunger contacting at least one reagent cartridge plunger, acting at least one reagent cartridge plunger by a first predetermined distance to bring it into contact with the gasket assembly of a flow cell assembly, wherein the flow cell assembly includes a flow cell including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet, and a first fluid coupling fluid-connected to the flow cell inlet. A method comprising: making contact with a gasket assembly having a through bore and an outlet gasket having a through bore and an outlet gasket having a second fluid coupling fluid-coupled to the flow cell outlet; and in response to at least one system plunger acting at least one reagent cartridge plunger by a second predetermined distance, the inlet gasket fluid-coupled to a first reagent cartridge port of a reagent cartridge and the outlet gasket fluid-coupled to a second reagent cartridge port of a reagent cartridge, thereby enabling fluid communication between the reagent cartridge port and the flow cell via the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet.

[0134] One or more of the above-described implementations and / or one or more of the implementations disclosed below, wherein the first and second fluid couplings of the flow cell assembly are each general-purpose fluid couplings, and so that the flow cell is movable in at least one of the perpendicular, longitudinal, or transverse directions relative to the gasket assembly, during which the inlet gasket is fluidly coupled to the first reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge and the outlet gasket is fluidly coupled to the second reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge.

[0135] One or more of the above-described implementations and / or methods of one or more of the implementations disclosed below, further comprising moving the system plunger in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the lift plate and against the spring force.

[0136] A method according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein a lift plate applies a first compressive force to the reagent cartridge body, and a spring force and a system plunger apply a second different compressive force to the inlet gasket and the outlet gasket.

[0137] A method according to one or more of the above-described implementations and / or one or more of the implementations disclosed below, wherein the first fluid coupling and the second fluid coupling are combined.

[0138] A reagent cartridge receptacle; a lift plate assembly including a lift plate, a system plunger assembly held by the lift plate and including a plurality of system plungers, and a lift plate drive assembly operably connected to the lift plate; a flow cell including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet; a fluid coupling fluid-connected to the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet, respectively; and a gasket assembly fluid-connected to the fluid coupling, having a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket, wherein the flow cell inlet gasket has a through bore and is fluid-connected to the flow cell inlet via the fluid coupling, and the flow cell outlet gasket has a through bore and is fluid-connected to the flow cell outlet via the fluid coupling. A system comprising: a flow cell assembly including a gasket assembly connected to; a reagent cartridge receptacle, a reagent cartridge receptacle, a reagent cartridge plunger assembly having a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers, each reagent cartridge plunger being fitted to align with the corresponding system plunger of the system plunger assembly and the corresponding flow cell gasket of the flow cell assembly when the reagent cartridge is received into the reagent cartridge receptacle, and a reagent cartridge including a pair of reagent cartridge ports fitted to be fluidly connected to a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket; and a reagent cartridge.

[0139] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, wherein the lift plate drive assembly linearly moves the lift plate and the system plunger, the system plunger engages with the reagent cartridge plunger, moves the reagent cartridge plunger and engages with the gasket assembly, thereby enabling fluid communication between a pair of reagent cartridge ports and the flow cell via the flow cell inlet and flow cell outlet.

[0140] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the system plunger comprises a pair of system plungers and the reagent cartridge plunger comprises a pair of reagent cartridge plungers.

[0141] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the flow cell assembly further comprises a leveler gasket.

[0142] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the system plunger comprises a leveler system plunger, the reagent cartridge plunger further comprises a leveler reagent cartridge plunger, and the reagent cartridge comprises a reagent cartridge engaging surface.

[0143] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, wherein the lift plate drive assembly is adapted to move the lift plate linearly to engage the leveler system plunger with the leveler reagent plunger, move the leveler reagent plunger to engage with the gasket assembly, and enable engagement between the leveler gasket and the reagent cartridge engagement surface.

[0144] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the leveler gasket, flow cell inlet gasket, and flow cell outlet gasket are arranged in a triangular pattern.

[0145] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, wherein the flow cell assembly has a flow cell housing that holds a flow cell, a fluid coupling, and a gasket assembly.

[0146] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the flow cell housing has a dimensional envelope and the gasket assembly is located within the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing.

[0147] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the flow cell housing has openings corresponding to each flow cell gasket.

[0148] Apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein openings are arranged to allow the flow cell gasket to protrude from the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing after the reagent cartridge plunger has moved the gasket assembly a predetermined distance.

[0149] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the flow cell gasket has a flat surface and the reagent cartridge has a reagent cartridge engaging surface that faces the flow cell receptacle of the reagent cartridge.

[0150] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, wherein the flat surface of the flow cell gasket engages with the reagent cartridge engagement surface, and the pair of reagent cartridge ports are arranged to fluidly connect with the flow cell.

[0151] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the reagent cartridge comprises an alignment receptacle facing the flow cell receptacle of the flow cell receptacle, and the gasket assembly has an alignment projection adapted to be received by the alignment receptacle.

[0152] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, wherein the gasket assembly has a plurality of engaging projections comprising corresponding plunger receptacles, and each plunger receptacle is fitted to engage with or surround the distal end of a corresponding reagent cartridge plunger.

[0153] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the lift plate comprises a plunger bore, and each system plunger is slidably disposed within the corresponding plunger bore.

[0154] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described implementations and / or one or more of the implementations disclosed below, further comprising springs positioned in each of the plunger bores.

[0155] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described and / or one or more of the following-disclosed configurations, wherein a spring acts on a system plunger, imparting momentum to the distal end of the system plunger and engaging it with the corresponding reagent cartridge plunger.

[0156] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described implementations and / or one or more of the implementations disclosed below, further comprising a seal held by a system plunger.

[0157] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, wherein the reagent cartridge comprises a flow cell receptacle adapted to receive a flow cell assembly.

[0158] A flow cell assembly comprising: a flow cell including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet; a gasket assembly operably fluid-coupled to the flow cell, the gasket assembly having a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket, the flow cell inlet gasket having a through bore and being fluid-coupled to the flow cell inlet, and the flow cell outlet gasket having a through bore and being fluid-coupled to the flow cell outlet; and a reagent cartridge adapted to receive the flow cell assembly, the reagent cartridge having a pair of reagent cartridge ports adapted to be fluid-coupled to the flow cell inlet gasket and the flow cell outlet gasket.

[0159] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described implementations and / or one or more of the implementations disclosed below, further comprising a general-purpose fluid coupling that fluidly connects the flow cell inlet to the flow cell inlet gasket and the flow cell outlet to the flow cell outlet gasket.

[0160] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, further comprising a reagent cartridge plunger assembly having a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers, wherein each reagent cartridge plunger is positioned to correspond to a corresponding flow cell gasket of a flow cell assembly.

[0161] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described configurations and / or one or more of the configurations disclosed below, wherein the flow cell assembly further comprises a leveler gasket, and the reagent cartridge comprises a reagent cartridge engagement surface adapted to engage with the leveler gasket.

[0162] The apparatus according to one or more of the above-described mounting configurations and / or one or more of the mounting configurations disclosed below, wherein the flow cell inlet gasket, the flow cell outlet gasket, and the leveler gasket are arranged in a triangular pattern.

[0163] The foregoing description is provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement the various configurations described herein. While the subject art has been described in particular with reference to various figures and configurations, it should be understood that these are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the subject art.

[0164] When used herein, an element or process described in the singular and followed by the word "a" or "an" should be understood not to exclude multiple such elements or processes unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, a reference to "one implementation" is not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional implementations that also incorporate the described features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated otherwise, an implementation that "comprises," "includes," or "having" one or more elements having a particular characteristic may include additional elements, whether or not they possess that characteristic. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are used interchangeably herein.

[0165] The terms “substantially,” “approximately,” and “about” used throughout this specification are used to describe and account for small variations due to processing variability, for example. For example, they may refer to ±5% or less, e.g., ±2% or less, e.g., ±1% or less, e.g., ±0.5% or less, e.g., ±0.2% or less, e.g., ±0.1% or less, e.g., ±0.05% or less.

[0166] Many other methods may exist for carrying out the subject art. Various functions and elements described herein may be divided in ways different from those shown without departing from the scope of the subject art. Various modifications to these implementations may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other implementations. Thus, many changes and modifications can be made to the subject art by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the subject art. For example, a different number of a given module or unit may be used, different or more types of a given module or unit may be used, a given module or unit may be added, or a given module or unit may be omitted.

[0167] Underlined and / or italicized headings and subheadings are used solely for convenience and do not limit the subject art, nor are they referenced in connection with the interpretation of the description of the subject art. All structural and functional equivalents of elements of various implementations described throughout this disclosure, which are known to those skilled in the art or will become known thereafter, are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be included in the subject art. Furthermore, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be for publication only, whether such disclosure is expressly stated in the above description or not.

[0168] It should be understood that all combinations of the aforementioned concepts and further concepts, which will be discussed in more detail below, are intended to be part of the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein (providing that such concepts are not mutually contradictory). Specifically, all combinations of the claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are intended to be part of the subject matter of the invention disclosed herein.

Claims

1. 1. A method comprising: linearly moving a lift plate and a system plunger assembly carried by said lift plate toward a reagent cartridge plunger assembly of a reagent cartridge, said system plunger assembly including at least one system plunger, and said reagent plunger assembly including at least one reagent cartridge plunger; in response to the at least one system plunger contacting the at least one reagent cartridge plunger, actuating the at least one reagent cartridge plunger a first predetermined distance to contact a gasket assembly of a flow cell assembly, the flow cell assembly including: a flow cell including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet; a first fluid fitting fluidly connected to the flow cell inlet; a second fluid fitting fluidly connected to the flow cell outlet; and the gasket assembly fluidly connected to the first and second fluid fittings, the gasket assembly having an inlet gasket having a through bore and fluidly connected to the flow cell inlet via the first fluid fitting, and an outlet gasket having a through bore and fluidly connected to the flow cell outlet via the second fluid fitting; In response to the at least one system plunger actuating the at least one reagent cartridge plunger a second predetermined distance, fluidly connecting the inlet gasket to a first reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge and fluidly connecting the outlet gasket to a second reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge to enable fluid communication between the reagent cartridge port and the flow cell via the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet.

2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first fluid coupling and the second fluid coupling of the flow cell assembly are each universal fluid couplings, such that the flow cell is movable in at least one of a vertical direction, a longitudinal direction, or a lateral direction relative to the gasket assembly while the inlet gasket is fluidly connected to the first reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge and the outlet gasket is fluidly connected to the second reagent cartridge port of the reagent cartridge.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising moving the system plunger in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the lift plate and against a spring force.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the lift plate applies a first compressive force to the reagent cartridge body and the spring force and the system plunger apply a second, different compressive force to the inlet gasket and the outlet gasket.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first fluid coupling and the second fluid coupling are combined.

6. 1. An apparatus comprising:

1. A system comprising: a reagent cartridge receptacle; a lift plate assembly including a lift plate, a system plunger assembly carried by the lift plate and including a plurality of system plungers, and a lift plate drive assembly operably coupled to the lift plate; 1. A flow cell assembly comprising: a flow cell including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet; a fluid coupling fluidly connected to each of the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet; a gasket assembly fluidly connected to the fluid coupling, the gasket assembly including a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket, the flow cell inlet gasket having a through bore and fluidly connected to the flow cell inlet via the fluid coupling, and the flow cell outlet gasket having a through bore and fluidly connected to the flow cell outlet via the fluid coupling; A reagent cartridge receivable within the reagent cartridge receptacle, comprising: a reagent cartridge plunger assembly having a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers, each adapted to align with a corresponding system plunger of the system plunger assembly and a corresponding flow cell gasket of the flow cell assembly when the reagent cartridge is received in the reagent cartridge receptacle; and a pair of reagent cartridge ports adapted to be fluidly connected to the flow cell inlet gasket and the flow cell outlet gasket.

7. 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the lift plate drive assembly linearly moves the lift plate and the system plunger, which engages the reagent cartridge plunger and moves the reagent cartridge plunger to engage the gasket assembly, enabling fluid communication between the pair of reagent cartridge ports and the flow cell via the flow cell inlet and the flow cell outlet.

8. 8. The apparatus of claim 6 or 7, wherein the system plunger comprises a pair of system plungers and the reagent cartridge plunger comprises a pair of reagent cartridge plungers.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the flow cell assembly further comprises a leveler gasket.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the system plunger comprises a leveler system plunger, the reagent cartridge plunger further comprises a leveler reagent cartridge plunger, and the reagent cartridge comprises a reagent cartridge engaging surface.

11. 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the lift plate drive assembly is adapted to linearly move the lift plate to engage the leveler system plunger with the leveler reagent plunger and to move the leveler reagent plunger into engagement with the gasket assembly to enable engagement between the leveler gasket and the reagent cartridge engagement surface.

12. The device of any one of claims 10 to 11, wherein the leveler gasket, the flow cell inlet gasket, and the flow cell outlet gasket are arranged in a triangular pattern.

13. The apparatus of any one of claims 6 to 12, wherein the flow cell assembly comprises a flow cell housing that holds the flow cell, the fluid coupling, and the gasket assembly.

14. 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the flow cell housing has a dimensional envelope, and the gasket assembly is disposed within the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing.

15. 15. The device of claim 13 or 14, wherein the flow cell housing includes openings corresponding to each flow cell gasket.

16. 16. The device of claim 15, wherein the opening is arranged to allow the flow cell gasket to protrude from the dimensional envelope of the flow cell housing after the reagent cartridge plunger moves the gasket assembly a predetermined distance.

17. 17. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the flow cell gasket has a flat surface and the reagent cartridge comprises a reagent cartridge engaging surface that faces a flow cell receptacle of the reagent cartridge.

18. 18. The device of claim 17, wherein the flat surfaces of the flow cell gasket are arranged to engage the reagent cartridge engaging surfaces to fluidly couple the pair of reagent cartridge ports with the flow cell.

19. 19. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the reagent cartridge includes an alignment receptacle that faces a flow cell receptacle of the reagent cartridge, and the gasket assembly has an alignment protrusion adapted to be received by the alignment receptacle.

20. 20. The device of claim 6, wherein the gasket assembly has a plurality of engagement protrusions with corresponding plunger receptacles, each plunger receptacle adapted to be engaged or surrounded by the distal end of a corresponding reagent cartridge plunger.

21. An apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 20, wherein the lift plate includes plunger bores, each system plunger being slidably disposed within a corresponding plunger bore.

22. 22. The device of claim 21, further comprising a spring disposed in each of the plunger bores.

23. 23. The device of claim 22, wherein the spring acts on the system plunger to urge a distal end of the system plunger into engagement with a corresponding reagent cartridge plunger.

24. 24. The device of any one of claims 21 to 23, further comprising a seal carried by the system plunger.

25. The apparatus of any one of claims 6 to 24, wherein the reagent cartridge comprises a flow cell receptacle adapted to receive the flow cell assembly.

26. 1. An apparatus comprising:

1. A flow cell assembly comprising: a flow cell including at least one channel, a flow cell inlet, and a flow cell outlet; a gasket assembly operably fluidly connected to the flow cell, the gasket assembly including a flow cell inlet gasket and a flow cell outlet gasket, the flow cell inlet gasket having a through bore and fluidly connected to the flow cell inlet, and the flow cell outlet gasket having a through bore and fluidly connected to the flow cell outlet; An apparatus comprising: a reagent cartridge adapted to receive a flow cell assembly, the reagent cartridge including a pair of reagent cartridge ports adapted to be fluidly connected to the flow cell inlet gasket and the flow cell outlet gasket.

27. 27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising a universal fluid coupling fluidly connecting the flow cell inlet to the flow cell inlet gasket and fluidly connecting the flow cell outlet to the flow cell outlet gasket.

28. 28. The apparatus of claim 26 or 27, further comprising a reagent cartridge plunger assembly having a plurality of reagent cartridge plungers, each reagent cartridge plunger positioned to correspond to a corresponding flow cell gasket of the flow cell assembly.

29. 29. The apparatus of any one of claims 26 to 28, wherein the flow cell assembly further comprises a leveller gasket, and wherein the reagent cartridge comprises a reagent cartridge engagement surface adapted to be engaged by the leveller gasket.

30. 30. The device of claim 29, wherein the flow cell inlet gasket, the flow cell outlet gasket, and the leveler gasket are arranged in a triangular pattern.

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