Highly scalable laboratory and process automation platform and methods of use

Abstract

A scalable laboratory and process automation platform comprising: a first module, the first module comprising: a first instrument housing, the first instrument housing comprising: a side shell; a bottom cover attached to the bottom of the side shell, the side shell generally comprising four walls; a top cover attached to the top of the side shell; a power port located in the side shell; an upstream daisy-chain connection port located in the side shell; a downstream daisy-chain connection port located in the side shell; the first instrument housing configured to house any component from the following group of mechanical or electrical components comprising: circuit boards, sensors, motors, solenoids, solenoid valves, rotary valves, heating assemblies, piston pump, fluidic control elements like pumps or valves, pneumatic control elements, air flow controllers, vacuum/air-pressure valves, air/gas pumps, vacuum pumps, piston pump modules, fluidic valves with a piston pump head to provide bidirectional pumping capability, air pressure supply and air flow controller and pneumatic valves being combined with a fluidic manifold and valves to provide a precision liquid and droplet dispensing platform; linear motion stages, rotary motion stages, linear motion module, pump head; sensor modules, computer vision modules, motion controller modules, dispensing modules, actuator modules, linear actuators, grippers, light sensors, fluorescence meters, photomultipliers, camera sensors, microscope heads, spectrometer units, mechanical actuators, cover removers for a microwell plate, thermal incubation modules, magnetic bead extraction modules, and mixing modules; a first circuit board located inside the first instrument housing and mounted to the bottom cover, the circuit board in communication with the power port, the upstream daisy-chain connection port, the downstream daisy-chain connection port, and the component. A scalable laboratory and process automation platform comprising: a meta-instrument housing, configured to house a plurality of modules; a backplane located in the meta-instrument housing; each of the plurality of modules comprising: an instrument housing, the first instrument housing configured to house any component from the following group of mechanical or electrical components comprising: circuit boards, sensors, motors, solenoids, solenoid valves, rotary valves, heating assemblies, piston pump, fluidic control elements like pumps or valves, pneumatic control elements, air flow controllers, vacuum/air-pressure valves, air/gas pumps, vacuum pumps, piston pump modules, fluidic valves with a piston pump head to provide bidirectional pumping capability, air pressure supply and air flow controller and pneumatic valves being combined with a fluidic manifold and valves to provide a precision liquid and droplet dispensing platform; linear motion stages, rotary motion stages, linear motion module, pump head; sensor modules, computer vision modules, motion controller modules, dispensing modules, actuator modules, linear actuators, grippers, light sensors, fluorescence meters, photomultipliers, camera sensors, microscope heads, spectrometer units, mechanical actuators, cover removers for a microwell plate, thermal incubation modules, magnetic bead extraction modules, and mixing modules; where each of the modules are in communication with each other through connections with the backplane.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.