Described embodiments provide devices, systems and methods for sequencing liquid flow in response to a driving force by entrapping and releasing gas between volumes of liquid in a controlled manner. In one particular form, a centrifugal lab on a disk device is provided to drive liquid flow and sequencing by virtue of the centrifugal force and in one particular form a radially inward bend conduit is used in connection with controllably trapping and releasing gas between liquid volumes.

Improved mechanisms for storing and introducing liquid volumes in a liquid handling device and, in particular, improved mechanisms for rupturing a liquid storage package to introduce liquid into the device, improvements to the stability of a liquid receiving chamber inside the device and improvements to liquid handling in the receiving chamber are achieved.

Described embodiments provide devices, systems and methods for sequencing liquid flow in response to a driving force by entrapping and releasing gas between volumes of liquid in a controlled manner. In one particular form, a centrifugal lab on a disk device is provided to drive liquid flow and sequencing by virtue of the centrifugal force and in one particular form a radially inward bend conduit is used in connection with controllably trapping and releasing gas between liquid volumes.

Apparatus and method for aligning a rotatable substrate. In some embodiments, a circumferentially extending timing pattern is formed on a substrate. The timing pattern nominally extends about a center point of the substrate at a selected radius. The substrate is mounted to a support mechanism which rotates the substrate about a central axis. Due to mechanical tolerances, the central axis will be offset from the center point of the substrate as a result of an alignment error during the mounting of the substrate. The offset between the support mechanism central axis and the center point of the substrate is determined using a detector that detects two opposing cross-over transitions of the timing pattern during each revolution of the substrate. A feature may be written to the substrate by positioning a write element with respect to the substrate responsive to the detected offset.

A microfluidic system for separating an analyte from a sample fluid including a series of fluidic channels including at least one first region and at least one second region. The first region includes a plurality of L-nodes, which connects to each other in series. The second region includes a plurality of R-nodes, which connects to each other in series. The first region is configured to trigger at least about one lamination process cycle for both the sample fluid and the buffer fluid and the second region is configured to trigger at least about one reverse lamination process cycle for both the sample fluid and the buffer fluid, whereby the lamination process cycle and the reverse lamination process cycle causes the analyte to diffuse to the buffer fluid from the sample fluid. A method for separating the analyte is also disclosed.

Provided is a microfluidic apparatus including: a microfluidic structure for providing spaces for receiving a fluid and for forming channels, through which the fluid flows; and valves for controlling the flow of fluid through the channels in the microfluidic apparatus. The microfluidic structure includes: a sample chamber; a sample separation unit receiving the sample from the sample chamber and separating a supernatant from the sample by using a centrifugal force; a testing unit receiving the supernatant from the sample separation unit for detecting a specimen from the supernatant using an antigen-antibody reaction, and a quality control chamber for identifying reliability of the test.

An automatic analyzer cartridge, spinnable around a rotational axis, has aliquoting and metering chambers, a connecting duct there between, and a vent connected to the metering chamber and nearer to the rotational axis than the metering chamber. The metering chamber has side walls that taper away from a central region. Capillary action next to the side walls is greater than in the central region. A circular arc about the rotational axis passes through a duct entrance in the aliquoting chamber and a duct exit in the metering chamber. The cartridge has a downstream fluidic element which is part of a fluidic structure for processing a biological sample into the processed biological sample. A valve connects the metering chamber to the fluidic element, which is fluidically connected to the fluidic structure. The fluidic structure receives the biological sample and has a measurement structure for enabling measurement of the processed biological sample.

A microfluidic structure comprising a thermoplastic portion defining a microfluidic recess, a bonding layer on the thermoplastic portion and a siloxane elastomer portion covalently bonded to the bonding layer to seal the microfluidic recess. The microfluidic recess can therefore be formed simply, quickly and cheaply using known injection molding techniques, which are not hampered by the need for a curing step. However, the positive qualities associated with elastomers can be brought to the structure by using this to seal the microchannels. The bonding layer can be formed by silica deposited on the thermoplastic portion using techniques known in the field of optics.

A rotating device includes a rotating shaft, a rotating disc, a left clamping disc, a right clamping disc, an upper clamping disc, and a recovering component. The upper clamping disc, the left clamping disc, and the right clamping disc are sleeved on the rotating shaft. The upper clamping disc fixes the rotating disc, the left clamping disc, and the right clamping disc on the rotating shaft. The recovering component abuts between a side of the left clamping disc and a side of the right clamping disc. A clamping zone is formed between the other side of the left clamping disc and the other side of the right clamping disc for clamping the detecting disc, and an overlapping zone is formed between the side of the left clamping disc and the side of the right clamping disc and opposite to the clamping zone.

A relative humidity control apparatus for control of the relative humidity in a gas space has a nebulizer source with an outlet for nebulized liquid, a frame surrounding an open area and comprising an opening arrangement to the open area and in operational flow connection with the outlet, and a flow drive arrangement generating a gas flow from the outlet to and out of the opening arrangement. A liquid handling robot comprising this apparatus, a method of operating the apparatus, an immunoassay method and methods of controlling the time course of the relative humidity in a gaseous space and of producing a predetermined volume of a liquid are also disclosed.