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US 2019/0376870 A1Published application
Pressure and leak testing methods
AssigneeIllumina, Inc.
InventorsBradley Kent Drews, Kevin James Cappa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An analysis system includes a fluidic system includes a number of components that are interconnected to form a fluidic system having a plurality of flow paths. An example method of pressure testing the fluidic system includes (a) selecting a flow path from the plurality of flow paths through a flow cell in accordance with a prescribed test protocol; (b) actuating a pump to pressurize a fluid in the selected flow path; (c) generating pressure data representative of the pressure in the selected flow path; and (d) processing the pressure data to determine whether the selected flow path maintains pressure in a desired manner.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- an interface to fluidically connect with a flow cell to support analytes of interest in an analysis system, the fluidic interface including a plurality of flow paths and a plurality of effluent lines, each flow path to fluidically connect with one or more channels of the flow cell when the flow cell is mounted in the analysis system and each effluent line to fluidically connect with one of the channels of the flow cell when the flow cell is mounted in the analysis system;
- a selector valve fluidically connected with plurality of flow paths, the selector valve to controllably select one of the flow paths;
- one or more pumps, each pump fluidically connected with one or more of the effluent lines;
- a pressure sensor in fluidic communication with the selected flow path, the pressure sensor to detect pressure in the selected flow path and to generate pressure data based on the detected pressure;
- and
- control circuitry, the control circuity having one or more processors and a memory to store computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, control the one or more processors to:
- cause the selector valve to successively select different flow paths of the plurality of flow paths to be pressure-tested in accordance with a prescribed test protocol;
- control the one or more pumps so as to pressurize the selected flow path according to the prescribed test protocol;
- and
- access the pressure data and to determine whether each of the selected flow paths maintains pressure in a desired manner.
7 more elements
The system of claim 6, wherein the plurality of flow paths comprises a third flow path that includes both the first and the second flow paths.
A system comprising:
- an interface to fluidically connect with a flow cell to support analytes of interest in an analysis system, the fluidic interface including a plurality of flow paths and a plurality of effluent lines, each flow path to fluidically connect with one or more channels of the flow cell when the flow cell is mounted in the analysis system and each effluent line to fluidically connect with one of the channels of the flow cell when the flow cell is mounted in the analysis system;
- a flow path selector valve fluidically connected with the plurality of flow paths, the flow path selector valve to controllably select one of the flow paths;
- one or more pumps, each pump fluidically connected with one or more of the effluent lines;
- a reagent selector valve fluidically connected with an inlet to the flow path selector valve, the reagent selector valve to seal the selected flow path at the reagent selector valve for pressure-testing of the selected flow path between at least the reagent selector valve and the one or more pumps;
- a pressure sensor in fluidic communication with the selected flow path, the pressure sensor to detect pressure in the selected flow path and to generate pressure data based on the detected pressure;
- and
- control circuitry, the control circuity having one or more processors and a memory to store computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, control the one or more processors to:
- control the one or more pumps so as to pressurize the selected flow path according to a prescribed test protocol;
- and
- access the pressure data and to determine whether the selected flow path maintains pressure in a desired manner.
7 more elements
A system comprising:
- an interface to fluidically connect with a flow cell to support analytes of interest in an analysis system, the fluidic interface including a plurality of flow paths and a plurality of effluent lines, each flow path to fluidically connect with one or more channels of the flow cell when the flow cell is mounted in the analysis system and each effluent line to fluidically connect with one of the channels of the flow cell when the flow cell is mounted in the analysis system;
- a selector valve fluidically connected with plurality of flow paths, the selector valve to controllably select one of the flow paths;
- one or more pumps, each pump fluidically connected with one or more of the effluent lines;
- a pressure sensor in fluidic communication with the selected flow path, the pressure sensor to detect pressure in the selected flow path and to generate pressure data based on the detected pressure;
- and
- control circuitry, the control circuity having one or more processors and a memory to store computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, control the one or more processors to:
- control the one or more pumps so as to dry the selected flow path;
- control the one or more pumps so as to pressurize the selected flow path according to a prescribed test protocol;
- and
- access the pressure data and to determine whether the selected flow path maintains pressure in a desired manner.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.