US 12,188,922 B2
Contoured sample path for fluid analyzer
Christian Pudduck, Norfolk, MA (US)
Assigned to Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, NY (US)
Appl. No. 16/973,937
Filed by Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics Inc., Tarrytown, NY (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 20, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/038153
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 10, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/005692, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 2, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/692,061, filed on Jun. 29, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0247380 A1, Aug. 12, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 33/49 (2006.01); G01N 33/543 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/49 (2013.01) [G01N 33/54388 (2021.08)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor assembly for analysis of physical parameters and chemical constituents of small volume samples of bodily fluids, the assembly comprising:
a sensor panel with an upper surface and a lower surface and at least two analyte sensors located on the lower surface, wherein each analyte sensor has a surface area for contacting the bodily fluid for analysis thereof; and
a sensor cartridge base having an inset bed on which the sensor panel is disposed, the inset bed having a contoured fluid pathway formed therein that extends from a fluid inlet to a fluid outlet, the contoured fluid pathway having a first wall with a first upper edge and a second wall with a second upper edge, wherein the first and second upper edges are in contact with the lower surface of the sensor panel and thereby allow at least a portion of the surface area of each analyte sensor to be brought into contact with fluid when the fluid is traversing along the contoured fluid pathway; and
wherein the contoured fluid pathway has an analyte sensor area that corresponds to each of the at least two analyte sensors of the sensor panel and at least one transition area that is disposed between two analyte sensor areas, and wherein at least one dimension of each analyte sensor area is greater than a corresponding dimension of at least one transition area; and
wherein the contoured fluid pathway has a volumetric capacity between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet in a range of from about 20 μl to about 35 μl.