US-12616974-B2 - Positive displacement pipette syringe identification system

US12616974B2US 12616974 B2US12616974 B2US 12616974B2US-12616974-B2

Abstract

Described are exemplary embodiments of a syringe identification system for use with a positive displacement pipette, such as a handheld powered positive displacement pipette. An exemplary syringe identification system may include a sensor, such as a color sensor, that is located at or near a distal end of the pipette and arranged such that the sensor is operative to read an identifying marking(s) on a syringe that has been installed to the pipette. The sensor may be a color sensor having an illumination source and configured to read a color code on the syringe. The color code may be usable to identify the syringe to the pipette.

Inventors

Richard Hill
Michael McNaul
Bob Wells
Simon Shakespeare
Matthew Newman

Assignees

Mettler-Toledo Rainin, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240222

Claims (17)

1 . A pipette system having syringe identification functionality, comprising: a pipette comprising a color sensor located internal to, and at a distal end portion of, the pipette, said color sensor is configured to differentially recognize reflected visible light of at least a group of colors and provide color identification data to a controller; the controller configured to receive data signals from the color sensor, including the color identification data; and a syringe configured for installation with the pipette, said syringe comprising: a color coding provided at a surface of a proximal end portion of the syringe that resides within a field of view of the color sensor when the syringe is installed to the pipette and having a given color of the group of colors, where the given color of the color coding is configured to indicate at least one distinct characteristic of the syringe, which is or includes a respective syringe volume, from other syringes of a group of syringes, each of the syringes of the group of syringes having the color coding with a different respective color of the group of various colors and a different respective internal volume; wherein the controller is programmed to use the color identification data received from the color sensor to differentially identify the syringe installed to the pipette from the other syringes of the group of syringes, including by at least the respective syringe volume, and to automatically set or adjust one or more operating parameters of the pipette based on the differential identification.
2 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: the surface is provided by a chamfered shoulder such that the color coding is located on the chamfered shoulder, said chamfered shoulder extending laterally beyond an outer perimeter of a capillary of the syringe.
3 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: the color coding is selected from the group consisting of: a colored marking, a continuous patch of color, a discrete patch of color, a collection of dots of one or more colors, and a collection of segmented lines of one or more colors.
4 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: the color coding is integrally formed with the syringe.
5 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: the color sensor includes an illumination source.
6 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: the color coding extends completely around a syringe retention element.
7 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: said surface extends at an angle between 30 degrees and 60 degrees from a longitudinal axis of the syringe.
8 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: said syringe comprises a syringe retention mechanism; said pipette comprises a syringe retention element configured to be temporarily engaged with the syringe retention mechanism to temporarily secure the syringe to the pipette; and said surface is provided at the syringe retention element.
9 . The syringe identification system of claim 8 , wherein: the syringe retention mechanism is configured to temporarily secure the syringe from removal from the pipette by way of at least the syringe retention element when the pipette is sufficiently inserted axially into the distal end portion of the pipette.
10 . The syringe identification system of claim 1 , wherein: the pipette is a handheld, powered, positive displacement pipette.
11 . A pipette system having syringe identification functionality, comprising: a handheld powered positive displacement pipette comprising: a color sensor located within and at a side of a distal end of the pipette, said color sensor is configured to differentially recognize reflected visible light of at least a group of various colors and provide color identification data to a controller; and a syringe retention mechanism; the controller in communication with the color sensor and configured to receive data signals therefrom including the color identification data; and a syringe configured for installation with the pipette to form a unitary device, said syringe comprising: a syringe retention element and a color coding provided at a surface of the syringe retention element having a given color of the group of various colors, said color coding provided at a location on the surface that resides within a field of view of the color sensor when the syringe is installed to the pipette, the given color of the color coding indicating at least one distinct characteristic of the syringe, which is or includes the syringe volume, from other syringes of a group of syringes, each having the color coding with a different respective color of the group of various colors; wherein the controller is programmed to use the color identification data received from the color sensor to differentially identify the syringe installed to the pipette from the other syringes of the group of syringes, including by at least the respective syringe volume, and to automatically set or adjust one or more operating parameters of the pipette based on the differential identification; wherein the syringe retention mechanism temporarily secures the syringe from removal from the pipette by way of at least the syringe retention element when the pipette is sufficiently inserted axially at the distal end of the pipette.
12 . The syringe identification system of claim 11 , wherein: the surface of the syringe retention element is provided by a chamfered shoulder such that the color coding is located on the chamfered shoulder, said chamfered shoulder extending laterally beyond an outer perimeter of a capillary of the syringe.
13 . The syringe identification system of claim 11 , wherein: each of the syringes of the group of syringes have different internal volumes.
14 . The syringe identification system of claim 11 , wherein: the color coding is selected from the group consisting of a colored marking, a continuous patch of color, a discrete patch of color, a collection of dots of one or more colors, and a collection of segmented lines of one or more colors.
15 . The syringe identification system of claim 11 , wherein: the color coding is integrally formed with the syringe.
16 . The syringe identification system of claim 11 , wherein: the color sensor includes an illumination source.
17 . The syringe identification system of claim 11 , wherein: the color coding extends completely around the syringe retention element.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/664,769 filed Oct. 25, 2019, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully restated herein. TECHNICAL FIELD Exemplary embodiments of the general inventive concept are directed to a handheld powered positive displacement pipette and pipette assembly, including novel syringes for said pipette, and associated mechanisms for the releasable retention, ejection, and possible automatic identification of said syringes. BACKGROUND As would be understood by one of skill in the art, pipettes are generally of either air displacement or positive displacement design. In contrast to an air displacement pipette in which a cushion of air separates aspirated liquid from the pipette piston, a positive displacement pipette is designed for direct contact between the pipette piston and the aspirated liquid. The positive displacement pipette design eliminates potential air displacement pipette inaccuracies that may result from the effects of different liquid properties and/or environmental conditions on the air cushion of the air displacement pipette. For example, altitude changes, evaporation and other conditions to which an air displacement pipette may be subjected can affect air displacement pipette accuracy. While a positive displacement pipette can provide the aforementioned advantages over an air displacement pipette, known positive displacement pipettes have their own shortcomings. One such shortcoming has traditionally been the inability of known positive displacement pipettes to provide accurate, non-contact dispensing of very small liquid volumes, including volumes below 1 μl. More specifically, when dispensing very small liquid volumes using known positive displacement pipettes there is a tendency for some amount of liquid to adhere to the inside of the pipette tip after the dispensing stroke, which then requires subsequent physical contact (“touch-off”) of the pipette tip with the liquid receiving vessel to discharge said adhering liquid from the pipette tip. Additionally, direct contact between the piston of a positive displacement pipette and the liquid of interest during normal use means that the piston cannot be reused. Consequently, positive displacement pipettes typically use a “consumable” in the form of a disposable syringe that includes not only a hollow barrel (capillary) with a tip portion, but also a piston that resides and seals within the capillary and is reciprocatable within the capillary by the pipette to aspirate and dispense a desired amount of a liquid of interest while the capillary and piston are releasably attached to the pipette. After the pipetting operation is complete, the entire syringe is normally removed from the positive displacement pipette and discarded. The complexity associated with the insertion, retention and ejection of a positive displacement pipette syringe is greater than that associated with a typical air displacement pipette tip, which is far more simplistic in construction and commonly held in place on the dispensing end of an air displacement pipette body by mere friction. In a positive displacement pipette, the syringe must be securely retained on the pipette body until deliberately ejected, while the piston is simultaneously properly positioned within the pipette for releasable engagement and reciprocation by an aspiration/dispensing mechanism of the pipette. There is an existing need for a positive displacement pipette that can provide accurate and repeatable non-contact dispensing of various volumes of liquid, including very small liquid volumes. There is also an existing need for a positive displacement pipette having an improved mechanism by which syringes may be easily and reliably installed to, releasably retained by, and ejected from the pipette. Exemplary positive displacement pipettes according to the general inventive concept, and various features of said exemplary positive displacement pipettes, satisfy these needs. SUMMARY An exemplary embodiment of a handheld, powered positive displacement pipette according to the general inventive concept will generally include a substantially hollow body that is preferably shaped for ergonomic gripping by a user and acts as a housing for the various internal components of the pipette. A proximal end of the body may include a user interface portion, while a distal end of the body is configured for and serves as the connection end for a syringe. An exemplary pipette will generally further include a motorized drive assembly, a dispensing solenoid assembly, a syringe retention mechanism, a syringe piston grasping mechanism, and a syringe ejection mechanism, all of which are housed within the pipette body. At least some of the aforesaid components may further reside within an internal housing that is also located within the pipette body. A syringe is releasably installed to the distal end of the