A valve arrangement includes a valve module and a base module. The valve module includes a stator and a rotor, which is rotatable relative to the stator such that at least one fluid connection is formable between the stator and the rotor. The base module includes at least a part of a force control mechanism for selectively implementing a force-releasing or force-coupling of the rotor and the stator, whereby the valve module and the base module are selectively coupleable to or decoupleable from each other.

A valve includes an orifice plate including at least one orifice surrounded by an orifice plate seal surface, a seal plate, and an actuator. The seal plate includes a seal boss having a seal boss surface that faces the orifice plate, and a pocket that overlays the at least one orifice. The pocket includes a recessed surface that is surrounded by the seal boss surface and is displaced from the seal boss surface along an axis. The actuator is configured to move the seal plate relative to the orifice plate along the axis to transition the valve between open and closed states. The seal boss surface engages the orifice plate seal surface, surrounds the at least one orifice, and blocks a flow of fluid through the at least one orifice when the valve is in the closed state.

Various embodiments of the teachings relate to a system or method for sample preparation or analysis in biochemical or molecular biology procedures. The sample preparation can involve small volume processed in discrete portions or segments or slugs, herein referred to as discrete volumes. A molecular biology procedure can be nucleic acid analysis. Nucleic acid analysis can be an integrated DNA amplification/DNA sequencing procedure.

Disclosed are examples of valve systems and methods of operating the respective valve systems. An example valve system may include a valve body, an inlet component, an outlet component and a valve tube. The valve body may include a first void and a second void. The inlet component may be coupled to the first void and the outlet component may be coupled to the second void. The valve tube may include a side port and may be positioned through the valve body and coupled to the first void, the inlet component, the second void, and the outlet component. Other valve system examples may include including a valve body, a first septum, a second septum, a first piston, a second piston and a tube. The disclosed methods describe the interaction of the respective components of the respective valve system example.

The valve is formed in a valve body housing a first path portion, a second path portion, and an coupling zone between the first and second path portions. A shutter is arranged in the coupling zone and has a shutting portion of ferromagnetic material that is deformable under the action of an external magnetic field between an undeformed position, wherein the shutter closes the coupling zone, and a deformed position, wherein the shutter at least partially frees the coupling zone. The shutting portion of the shutter is formed by a rubber membrane incorporating particles, for example of ferrite particles.

A method includes engaging a well of a cartridge with a flow sensor of an instrument. The cartridge includes: a rotary valve including a rotatable port and a center port; the well in fluid communication with a channel, the channel including a channel port that the rotatable port is to align to in order to receive fluid from the well; and a flowcell including an inlet gasket in fluid communication with the center port. A source of pressurized air is connected to the flow sensor in order to establish a mass flow of air through a flow path. The flow path extends through one of the flow sensor, the channel, the rotary valve, and the flowcell. The mass flow of air through the flow path is measured with the flow sensor. It is determined if there is one of an air leak and an air blockage within the flow path.

A micro-valve includes an orifice plate having a first surface, a second surface and an orifice extending from the first surface to the second surface. An actuating beam is disposed in spaced relation to the orifice plate. The actuating beam includes a base portion and a cantilevered portion. The base portion is separated from the orifice plate by a predetermined distance. The cantilevered portion extends from the base portion such that an overlapping portion thereof overlaps the orifice. The actuating beam is movable between a closed position and an open position. The micro-valve also includes a sealing structure including a sealing member disposed at the overlapping portion of the cantilevered portion. When the actuating beam is in the closed position, the cantilevered portion is positioned such that the sealing structure seals the orifice so as to close the micro-valve.

A fluidic device (100) is described for locally coating an inner surface of a fluidic channel. The fluidic device (100) comprises a first (101), a second (102) and a third (103) fluidic channel intersecting at a common junction (105). The first fluidic channel is connectable to a coating fluid reservoir and the third fluidic channel is connectable to a sample fluid reservoir. The fluidic device (100) further comprises a fluid control means (111) configured for creating a fluidic flow path for a coating fluid at the common junction (105) such that, when coating, a coating fluid propagates from the first (101) to the second (102) fluidic channel via the common junction (105) without propagating into the third (103) fluidic channel. A corresponding method for coating and for sensing also has been disclosed.

A miniature transportation device is disclosed and includes a gas inlet plate, a resonance plate and a piezoelectric actuator, which are stacked on each other sequentially. The gas inlet plate comprises at least one inlet, at least one convergence channel and a convergence chamber. The convergence channel is in fluid communication with the inlet and the convergence channel. The resonance plate comprises a central aperture. A chamber gap is formed between the resonance plate and the piezoelectric actuator to define a first chamber. When the piezoelectric actuator is enabled, the gas is fed into the miniature gas transportation device through the inlet of the gas inlet plate, converged to the convergence chamber through the convergence channel, transferred through the central aperture of the resonance plate, introduced into the first chamber, and transferred along a transportation direction through a vacant space of the piezoelectric actuator to be discharged continuously.

A miniature fluid transportation device is provided and includes a convergence component, a valve component, an outlet plate and a plurality of fluid transportation actuation components. The plurality of fluid transportation actuation components are disposed on the convergence component so as to transport the fluid to the convergence component. The convergence component guides the fluid transported by the fluid transportation actuation components to the outlet plate through the valve component. The outlet plate guides the fluid from different transportation actuation components back to the convergence component by a separation guiding block. The fluid is converged in a convergence central slot of the convergence component and is discharged out through a collection channel of the outlet plate. Consequently, the problem of interference owing to the convergence of the fluid transported by different fluid transportation actuation components can be avoided.