Liquid level sensing apparatus are disclosed. An example liquid level sensing apparatus includes a cannula defining a body having a tip and an access channel. The tip to pierce a container, where the cannula is to be at least partially positioned in the container when the tip pierces the container. A probe is to be positioned in the access channel. A signal source is to electrically energize the probe and the cannula to cause the probe to emit a first signal and cause the cannula to emit a second signal.

In a dispensing system, a body is arranged outside a specimen processing cabinet, and in a state where a hand and a dispenser are inserted into the specimen processing cabinets, a specimen accommodated in a specimen container held by the hand is dispensed into a dispensing container by the dispenser.

A method of measuring the alignment of one or more pipetting tips in an automated pipetting system where the one or more pipetting tips are mounted on one or more adapters of a pipetting head approximately perpendicular to the pipetting head mounting surface is disclosed. The orifices at the end of the one or more pipetting tips are mapped with an image capture device having a sensor placed in face and distant of the orifices. The method sends the acquired data from mapping the orifices of the one or more pipetting tips to the data processor, generating an image of the orifices of the one or more pipetting tips, determining the center positions of orifices, and delivering alignment information for the one or more pipetting tips.

Manually operated pipettors, widely used in clinical, forensics, pharmaceutical research, hospital and biotech laboratories to transfer small volumes of liquid, may be subject to positional errors, operator use errors and hidden performance degradation. Manual pipette performance cannot be accepted without monitoring and reporting. This invention concerns a computer controlled vision tracking and lighting system working in conjunction with a sensor controlled fluid dispensing device and controller to confirm pipette tip positional locations during aspiration and dispensing operations with automatic monitoring of liquids entering and leaving a pipette apparatus to digitally track a manual pipetting operation with a digital output file of validated liquid transfer results. The invention may also monitor possible error conditions and prevent improper liquid transfers during the manual process.

Methods and systems are provided for the identification of sample cells in a sample tray that is placed in a chromatography autosampler. A cell gripper and labels are also provided to facilitate such identification.

Methods and systems are provided for the identification of sample cells in a sample tray that is placed in a chromatography autosampler. A cell gripper and labels are also provided to facilitate such identification.

Disclosed is a fraction collector for dispensing liquids into plural receptacles (P1,P2) arranged in a two dimensional array. The fraction collector comprises a table (22) for supporting said receptacles, and an arm supported above the table, in tum supporting a liquid dispenser (35), the fraction collector arm is rotatable about an arm axis (C) and the liquid dispenser is movable along the arm on a carriage 34 (FIG. 2). Thereby, the dispenser is low cost and is repositionable simply above the receptacles as a result of said rotation and as a result of said movement along the arm, without occupying too much laboratory bench space.

A first aspect of the invention relates to a syringe housing which can have the following elements: a syringe body which has a first open end and a second open end, a first channel being formed between the two ends; a first membrane which is arranged such that the membrane extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the first channel over the cross-section thereof; a syringe body attachment which has a first open end and a second open end, a second channel being formed between the two ends; a second membrane which is arranged such that the membrane extends substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the second channel over the cross-section thereof; wherein the second open end of the syringe body and the first open end of the syringe body attachment are designed so as to be connectable in a formfitting manner and thus form the syringe housing, the first channel and the second channel form a continuous channel in the connected state of the syringe housing, and the first membrane and the second membrane define an extraction volume in the region of the continuous channel. Furthermore, different embodiments provide a pipette device which is designed for the automatic use of the syringe housing according to the invention.

Pipette assembly comprising a pipette device, a pipette tip, and an expanding mandrel collet coupling device coupling the tip to the pipette device, the coupling device comprising: circumferentially spaced apart segments, an annular base disposed below the segments and comprising a distal portion, an elastomeric element circumscribing the distal portion, and upwardly extending circumferentially spaced apart arms attached at first ends to the annular base and having upper free ends each supporting a different one of the segments configured to expand between a first and a second greater circumference for engaging a first interior working surface of the tip in concurrence with the elastomeric element sealing against a second interior working surface below the first surface and in concurrence with an abutment between a disk exteriorly disposed about a medial portion of the arms and a stepped interior shoulder of the tip disposed between the first and second working surfaces.

A method for detecting contact of a pipette tip with a surface of a liquid in a pipetting device is disclosed. The method consists of moving the pipette tip in the direction of the surface of the liquid thereby measuring an absolute capacitance between the pipette tip and a reference potential and generating a sampled output signal. A predicted momentary sample value of the output signal is generated based on a plurality of past sample values of the output signal. A contact signal indicative of the pipette tip being in contact with the surface of the liquid is generated based on comparing a momentary sample value of the output signal with the predicted momentary sample value of the output signal. A corresponding pipetting device capable of performing the method as a laboratory system, in particular an automated liquid processing system, with one or more such pipetting devices are proposed.