Fluid metering apparatus and method

A transfer valve for use in an automatic diluting system for a sample fluid comprising, in combination,

• a central member having at least a pair of conduits and
• a pair of outer members engaged against opposite faces of said central member and movable in opposite directions relative to said central member between a first and a second position,
• one of said outer members having two pairs of passages, each pair of passages associated with a different conduit and each pair of passages having one passage connecting with the associated conduit in said first position,
• the other of said outer members having a passageway connecting said conduits in said first position,
• said members in said first position capturing sample segments of fluid in series by defining a fluid path beginning and ending with the passages connecting with the conduits and including between said passages along said path said conduits and said passageway.

A transfer valve for use in an automatic diluting system for a sample fluid comprising, in combination,

• a central member having a pair conduits, and
• a pair of outer members engaged against opposite faces of said central member,
• said outer members movable in opposite directions relative to said central member between a first and a second position,
• one of said outerr members having two pairs of passages, each pair o passages associated with a different conduit and each pair of passages having one passage connecting with the associated conduit in said first said position and the other passage connecting with the associated conduit in the second position,
• one passage of said two pairs of passages for receiving the sample fluid,
• the other of said outer members having a passageway connecting said conduits in said first position and having a pair of passages each connecting with a different one of said conduits in said second position.

A transfer valve for use in an automatic diluting system for a sample fluid comprising, in combination,

• a central member haivng an aspirator pair of conduits and a delivery pair of conduits and
• a pair of outer members engaged against opposite faces of said central member and movable in opposite directions between an aspirator position and a delivery position,
• a first of said outer members having an aspirator pair of passages connecting with said aspirator pair of conduits in said aspirator position and a delivery pair of conduits conecting with said delivery pair of conduits in said delivery position,
• one of said aspirator pair of passages for receiving the sample fluid,
• a second of said outer members having a passageway connecting with said aspirator pair of conduits in said aspirator position and connecting with said delivery pair of conduits in said delivery position.

An automatic dilution system for simultaneously diluting separate segments of a sample fluid comprising:

• a transfer valve having
• a central member having at least a pair of conduits,
• a pair of outer membrs engaged against opposite faces of said central member,
• means for moving both of said outer members in opposite directions relative to said central member between a first and a second position,
• at least one of said outer members having at least one passageway connecting said pair of conduits in said first position,
• the other of said outer members having at least a pair of passages each connecting with a different one of said conduits in said first position,
• said passage, passageway and conduits forming a path through said valve for capturing separate sample segments along separate parts of said path,
• means for delivering sample fluid to said path,
• means for delivering diluent to said valve and to dilute the separate sample segments, and
• means for delivering the diluted separate sample segments from said valve to processing apparatus.