Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-10527192-B2
Publication Date
2020-01-07
Expiration Date
Abstract
Rotary valves and methods of using, manufacturing, and storing the same are provided herein. The rotary valve includes a rotor and a stator, biased toward one another to form a fluid tight seal. In some implementations, the rotor comprises an integrated flow channel containing a porous solid support. Frequently, the interface between rotor and stator is made fluid-tight using a gasket. Some implementations of the rotary valve include a displaceable spacer to prevent the gasket from sealing against at least one of the rotor and stator prior to operation, wherein when the spacer is displaced, the gasket seals the rotor and stator together in a fluid-tight manner.
Core Innovation
A disposable rotary valve is provided for microfluidic/diagnostic devices. The valve includes a rotor operably connected to a stator and having a rotational axis, a rotor valving face, and a flow channel with an inlet and an outlet at the rotor valving face. The flow channel contains a porous solid support, and the stator comprises a stator face with a plurality of passages, each passage having a port at the stator face.
A porous solid support is integrated into the rotor flow channel to perform analyte filtration, concentration, and purification as described in the document. A rotor-stator interface is formed between a rotor valving face and a stator face, and the rotor and stator are biased together at the rotor-stator interface by a retention element to form a fluid tight seal. The interface sealing arrangement supports rotary valving behavior between multiple stator ports via the rotor flow channel.
To prevent gasket compression-set or adhesion during storage and shipping, a displaceable spacer is provided to keep the gasket from sealing in a storage position. The spacer is configured to be disengaged upon activation by a mechanism associated with the rotor, after which the gasket forms the fluid-tight seal. Additional geometry and routing features are described, including non-concentric flow channel cross-section relative to the rotational axis and optional fluidic connector and selector structures for position-dependent port routing.
Claims Coverage
The independent claim specifies a rotary valve having three inventive features: a stator face with passages and ports, a rotor with a flow channel containing a porous solid support and having an inlet and outlet at a rotor valving face, and a retention element that biases the stator and rotor to form a fluid-tight seal at a rotor-stator interface. Dependent claims further refine inventive features by adding fluidic connector and selector routing structures, gasket and displaceable spacer sealing gating, porous support material options, and a non-concentric flow-channel geometry constraint.
Rotary valve with stator passages and ported stator face
A stator including a stator face and a plurality of passages, each passage having a port at the stator face.
Rotor flow channel with porous solid support and inlet/outlet at valving face
A rotor operably connected to the stator, including a rotational axis, a rotor valving face, and a flow channel with an inlet and an outlet at the rotor valving face, wherein the flow channel contains a porous solid support.
Retention element biasing rotor and stator to form a fluid tight seal
A retention element biasing the stator and the rotor together at a rotor-stator interface to form a fluid-tight seal.
Fluidic selector for position-dependent port routing
A rotor valving face including a fluidic selector having an arcing portion and a radial portion arranged relative to the rotational axis.
Position-dependent connection between rotor positions and ports via radial-distance selector
A fluidic selector that fluidically connects a first port to different second-radial-distance ports depending on rotor position, while maintaining a connection relationship between the first port and the selector during rotation between positions.
Gasket sealed by displaceable spacer gating
A gasket between the stator face and the rotor valving face, with a displaceable spacer in the stator preventing sealing against at least one of the rotor and stator until the spacer is displaced, after which the gasket seals the rotor and stator fluid-tight.
Porous solid support material selection
The porous solid support chosen from porous materials including inorganic oxides, glasses, polymers, biopolymers, membranes, fibers, and combinations thereof.
Non-concentric flow channel cross-section relative to rotational axis
The flow channel has a cross-section that is not concentric with the rotational axis.
Across the independent claim and the identified dependent refinements, the coverage centers on a rotary valve that integrates a porous solid support into a rotor flow channel and uses a stator with ported passages, while sealing the rotor-stator interface with a retention element. Additional inventive features include position-dependent fluidic selector routing, gasket sealing gated by a displaceable spacer, selectable porous solid support material options, and a non-concentric flow-channel geometry constraint.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
Interested in licensing this patent?