Systems, methods, and apparatuses to image a sample for biological or chemical analysis
Patent No. US8951781 (titled "Systems, methods, and apparatuses to image a sample for biological or chemical analysis") on Oct 14, 2011. The application was issued on Feb 10, 2015.
What is this patent about?
’781 is related to the field of biological and chemical analysis, specifically focusing on the mechanical systems used to hold and precisely position fluidic devices, such as flow cells, within an imaging workstation. In high-resolution assays like DNA sequencing, the accuracy of data depends on the ability to repeatedly and reliably align a sample area with an optical system's object plane across X, Y, and Z dimensions.
The underlying idea behind ’781 is to decouple the initial placement of a fluidic device from its final, high-precision alignment by using a dynamic mechanical interface. Rather than relying on a tight-tolerance fit during manual loading, the invention utilizes a movable locator arm that actively drives the device into a registered position against fixed reference points. This ensures that even if a cartridge is loaded loosely, it is mechanically forced into a consistent, repeatable orientation before analysis begins.
The claims of ’781 focus on a fluidic device holder equipped with a support structure and an alignment assembly that manages positioning along an XY-plane. The assembly includes an actuator and a movable locator arm with an engagement end that rotates within the XY-plane. This arm is designed to transition between a retracted position for loading and a biased position where it exerts force against the fluidic device, pinning it securely against a plurality of fixed reference surfaces.
In practice, the system works by integrating the alignment mechanism with the physical operation of the workstation. When a user or robotic arm places a flow cell onto the base surface, the locator arm is initially retracted. As the system prepares for imaging—often triggered by the closing of a cover—the actuator releases or drives the locator arm, causing the engagement end to swing into the device. This motion provides a vector force that simultaneously pushes the device against X and Y reference stops, locking it into a fixed position relative to the imaging optics.
This approach differs from prior solutions that often relied on static slots or manual tightening, which are prone to user error or mechanical wear. By using a biased engagement end that rotates into place, the holder accommodates slight variations in cartridge size while maintaining sub-micron alignment. This mechanical self-correction ensures that the sample area is perfectly registered with the optical path, which is critical for automated, multi-cycle sequencing protocols where the same spot must be imaged repeatedly over several days.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the early 2010s when ’781 was filed, biological analysis systems were typically implemented using rigid fluidic architectures where flow cells were fixed in static positions to maintain optical alignment. At a time when systems commonly relied on high-precision mechanical stages and permanent fluidic connections to manage sample delivery, the integration of complex assay protocols—such as bridge amplification and sequencing-by-synthesis—within a single automated platform was often limited by the manual handling required for sensitive optical substrates. Hardware constraints made the simultaneous achievement of fluidic sealing and precise optical registration non-trivial, as the force required to compress fluidic gaskets often induced mechanical stresses that could shift the sample out of the narrow focal plane required for high-resolution imaging.
Prosecution Position
The disclosed invention represents a technical advancement through an architectural shift in fluidic device design that decouples the fluidic interface from the optical alignment mechanism. By utilizing a housing with a reception space that allows a flow cell to float relative to the housing and a compressible gasket, the system enables the flow cell to be precisely aligned to an external optical support surface independently of the housing's position. This structural solution overcomes the constraint of mechanical over-constraint, where fluidic sealing forces typically interfere with sub-micron optical positioning. The integration of a rotatable mirror for focus control and a modular excitation light assembly further enables a fully automated transition between sample generation and high-throughput analysis, achieving a simplified, cost-effective workflow that maintains high optical precision across repeated reagent delivery cycles.
Claims
This patent contains 44 claims, with claims 1 and 30 serving as the independent claims. The independent claims focus on a fluidic device holder designed to precisely orient a fluidic device along X, Y, and Z axes using a support structure with reference surfaces and an alignment assembly featuring a movable locator arm that rotates or utilizes a finger to bias the device into a fixed position. The dependent claims serve to further specify mechanical variations of the locator arm and cover assembly, detail fluidic system components such as flow cells and storage trays, define thermal and imaging features, and outline methods for positioning the fluidic device within the holder.
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US8951781
- Application Number
- US13273666A
- Filing Date
- Oct 14, 2011
- Publication Date
- Feb 10, 2015
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO , Google Patents