US 11,724,258 B2
In-situ fluidic inspection
Sz-Chin Steven Lin, Ladera, CA (US); Richard Lemoine, San Diego, CA (US); Rajagopal Panchapakesan, Escondido, CA (US); Wesley A. Cox-Muranami, Middleton, WI (US); and Darren Segale, San Diego, CA (US)
Assigned to ILLUMINA, INC., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed by ILLUMINA, INC., San Diego, CA (US)
Filed on May 23, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/750,610.
Application 17/750,610 is a continuation of application No. 16/500,787, granted, now 11,351,541, previously published as PCT/US2018/025686, filed on Apr. 2, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/482,414, filed on Apr. 6, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0280940 A1, Sep. 8, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B01L 3/00 (2006.01); F16K 99/00 (2006.01); G01M 3/28 (2006.01); G01M 3/26 (2006.01)
CPC B01L 3/502738 (2013.01) [F16K 99/0013 (2013.01); F16K 99/0028 (2013.01); G01M 3/26 (2013.01); G01M 3/2876 (2013.01); B01L 2400/0644 (2013.01); F16K 2099/0084 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
engaging a well of a cartridge with a flow sensor of an instrument for operating the cartridge, the cartridge comprising:
a rotary valve comprising a rotatable port and a center port,
the well in fluid communication with a well channel, the well channel comprising a well channel port that the rotatable port is to align to in order to receive fluid from the well,
a first pinch valve comprising a first inlet and a first outlet,
a second pinch valve comprising a second inlet and a second outlet,
a syringe pump in fluid communication with the first outlet and the second inlet, and
a flowcell comprising an inlet gasket and an outlet gasket, the flowcell operable to engage and disengage the inlet gasket with the center port and the outlet gasket with the first inlet;
engaging the flowcell inlet gasket with the center port of the rotary valve and the flowcell outlet gasket with the first inlet of the first pinch valve;
connecting a source of pressurized air to the flow sensor in order to establish a mass flow of air through a flow path, the flow path extending through one of the flow sensor, the well channel, the rotary valve, the flowcell, the first and second pinch valves and the syringe pump;
measuring the mass flow of air through the flow path with the flow sensor; and
determining if there is one of an air leak and an air blockage within the flow path.