US 12,092,530 B2
Material cartridge arrangement for a dispensing system
Erik Gatenholm, Gothenburg (SE); Hector Martinez, Gothenburg (SE); Ginger Lohman, Gothenburg (SE); Mateusz Piotrzkowski, Mölndal (SE); Bryan Jones, Buchanan, VA (US); Eric Bronnenkant, Pembroke, VA (US); and Kyung Hun Jung, Blacksburg, VA (US)
Assigned to Cellink Bioprinting AB, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed by Cellink Bioprinting AB, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed on Aug. 31, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/462,615.
Claims priority of application No. 2051037-6 (SE), filed on Sep. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0063195 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. G01K 13/02 (2021.01); B29C 64/255 (2017.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01)
CPC G01K 13/026 (2021.01) [B29C 64/255 (2017.08); B29C 64/393 (2017.08); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A material cartridge arrangement for a dispensing system, comprising
a material cartridge having a first end, an opposing second end and an ink material channel extending between the first and second ends in the material cartridge, the ink material channel being bounded by an ink material channel wall/walls extending between the first and second ends, the ink material channel being arranged to hold an ink material, and the second end comprises an ink material outlet,
an ink material pressurizing device arranged to cause ink material held in the ink material channel to flow in a direction from said first end towards said second end and through the ink material outlet,
at least two temperature sensing elements arranged at a distance from each other along the direction of extension of the ink material channel, and each arranged to measure a temperature at said ink material channel wall,
an ink material level measuring device arranged to measure a level of ink material in the ink material channel,
a temperature analyzing unit arranged to receive: temperature data from the temperature sensing elements; ink material level information from the ink material level measuring device, and information about positions of the temperature sensing elements along the ink material channel, and to determine which of the temperature sensing elements are measuring temperatures of the ink material and which are measuring at positions where there is no ink material in the ink material channel, and to analyze measured temperatures from temperature sensing elements measuring at positions where there is ink material in the ink material channel, and
a temperature regulating system arranged to, based on instructions received from the temperature analyzing unit, adjust the temperature of the ink material in the ink material channel based on the temperatures measured by the temperature sensing elements measuring at positions where there is ink material in the ink material channel.