Tube bottom sensing for small fluid samples
AssigneeDPC Cirrus, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Tyberg, Arthur L. Babson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pipetting station having a bottom sensing device is provided in conjunction with one of any known liquid level sensing devices. The bottom sensing device includes a pipetting probe spring mounted to a pipetting arm of the pipetting station. The bottom sensing device also includes a sensor for determining when a pipetting tip of the pipetting probe is in contact with a bottom of a tube. The bottom sensing device permits the pipetting probe to measure an exact volume of fluid in the tube by allowing the pipetting tip to be lowered to the bottom of the tube beyond the sensed fluid level.
Claims12
A bottom sensing device for determining a bottom of a container, comprising:
- mounting means for mounting a pipetting probe on a pipetting arm, the mounting means allowing the pipetting arm to move a predetermined incremental distance independent of the pipetting probe when the pipetting tip contacts a bottom of the container;
- and
- sensing means for sensing when the pipetting tip is in contact with the bottom of the container, the sensing means being activated when the predetermined pipetting arm moves the incremental distance.
A method of determining a bottom of a container, comprising:
- lowering a pipetting arm having a pipetting tip to the bottom of the container;
- incrementally lowering the pipetting arm a predetermined distance, while the pipetting tip remains in contact with the bottom of the container;
- triggering a sensor when the pipetting arm has been incrementally lowered a certain distance;
- determining the bottom of the container when the sensor is triggered.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.