Method for dispensing drops of different volumes
AssigneeLabcyte Inc.
InventorMichael James Forbush
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method that allows a user to dispense a desired volume of solution from an acoustic dispensing apparatus by allowing the user to select the drop volume to be dispensed. A typical drop volume is in the range of one to twenty-five nanoliters. The method comprises the steps of creating two or more burst curves that give the relationship between liquid level and burst value, using data from the burst curves to create two or more calibration functions, and using data from the calibration functions to create a dispensing data set that is used to set the burst parameter required to dispense the selected drop volume.
Claims20
A method for dispensing a specified volume of liquid from a source well, the method comprising:
- for each of a plurality of liquid levels of the source well, collecting a burst curve data set corresponding to a single drop volume and characterizing a burst parameter required to generate that drop volume as a function of the liquid level of the source well;
- ascertaining a number of drops to be dispensed;
- adjusting a plurality of calibration functions each corresponding to one of the plurality of burst curve data sets, each of the plurality of calibration functions comprising a polynomial expression of the burst parameter as a function of corresponding drop volume;
- calculating, based on polynomial coefficients of the plurality of calibration functions, a desired burst parameter required to dispense a desired drop volume;
- and
- applying acoustic energy according to the desired burst parameter to dispense the specified volume of liquid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.