Fluid connection device for biological analysis apparatuses, suitable fluidic component and biological analysis device equipped with same

Abstract

A fluid connection device is provided for biological analysis apparatuses, intended to simultaneously connect a plurality of fluid conduits and at least one fluidic component including a connecting surface with a plurality of fluid ports, the device having: (i) a holding plate, (ii) removable attachment structure capable of pressing the holding plate against the connecting surface, (iii) connectors suitable for being fixed to the ends of the fluid conduits and provided with a seal suitable for allowing a sealed connection to be made between the connectors and the fluid ports, holding plate including through-openings opposite the fluid ports and being shaped in such a way as to be able to receive the connectors in through-openings and to hold them pressed against the connecting surface. A biological analysis apparatus implementing the device is also provided.

Claims

1. A fluid connection device for biological analysis apparatuses configured for simultaneously connecting a plurality of fluid conduits and at least one fluid component having a connecting surface with a plurality of fluid ports, said device comprising: a holding plate having an outer surface; at least one removable attachment device configured to press and secure said holding plate against said connecting surface; connectors fixed to the ends of the fluid conduits, wherein end surfaces of said connectors are substantially flush with said outer surface of said holding plate; and a seal positioned between each of said connectors and a corresponding one of the fluid ports, said seal being configured for forming a sealed connection between said connectors and said fluid ports; and said holding plate comprising through-openings opposite the fluid ports and being shaped to receive said connectors in said through-openings and to hold said connectors pressed against the connecting surface.

2. The fluid connection device of claim 1, wherein said connectors include one or more grooves.

3. The fluid connection device of claim 1, wherein said seal comprises an O-ring.

4. The fluid connection device of claim 1, wherein said seal comprises a conical surface.

5. The fluid connection device of claim 1, wherein said connectors are made of polymer material.

6. The fluid connection device of claim 1, which said holding plate has a substantially flat shape.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other advantages and features of the invention will become apparent on reading the detailed description of implementations and embodiments that are in no way limitative, and the following attached drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a fluid connection device according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a detail of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the fluid connection device according to the invention makes it possible to connect a fluid component 3 to fluid conduits 10.

(5) In the embodiment presented, the fluid component 3 is designed so that its fluid ports 11 are grouped together at the level of a connecting surface.

(6) The fluid ports 11 are the channels or conduits through which fluids of interest (biological fluids to be analyzed, diluents, reagents) enter and leave the fluid component 3.

(7) The connection device also comprises a holding plate 1 against which the fluid component 3 can be pressed, on its connecting surface, by means of removable attachment means 5.

(8) These attachment means 5 can be, non-limitatively, screws or clips clamping the fluid component 3 onto the holding plate 1.

(9) The holding plate 1 comprises through-openings into which connectors 2 are inserted. These through-openings are positioned so as to be opposite the fluid ports 11 of the fluid component 3 when the latter is attached to the holding plate 1.

(10) The connectors 2 make it possible to connect fluid conduits 10 to the fluid ports 11 of the fluid component 3 in a sealed manner. These sealed conduits are, in the embodiment presented, flexible pipes made of PVC or any other suitable material.

(11) At one end, the connectors 2 are designed to be inserted into the flexible pipes 10 so as to be firmly held therein. To achieve this they are provided with grooves 12 which hold the pipes 10 and prevent them from being released.

(12) At their other end, the connectors 2 are provided with a shoulder 13 and sealing means which comprise an O-ring 4.

(13) Thus, when the holding plate 1 is pressed against the fluid component 3, it also holds the connectors 2 pressed firmly against the connecting surface of this fluid component 3 so as to make a sealed connection with the corresponding fluid ports 11.

(14) The O-rings are held by a shoulder 14 made in the fluid component 3, thus allowing the dismantling or the replacement of the fluid component 3 without loss of the rings.

(15) The sealing means 4 can also comprise, instead of or in addition to a ring, a conical surface which is inserted and pressed into the fluid port.

(16) The connectors 2 can be produced by moulding or machining, for example from polymer material or from metal.

(17) The holding plate can also be made of any suitable material, for example of polymer material or of metal.

(18) Advantageously, the connectors 2 can be standardized and therefore be mass-produced at low cost. To the extent that they are designed to be difficult to remove from the pipes 10, they can be disposable when the pipes 10 are changed.

(19) The fluid ports 11 can a priori be positioned anywhere on the connecting surface depending on the design constraints of the fluid component 3.

(20) As the mounting plate 1 is simple in shape, it can be easily produced with openings positioned so as to correspond to the position of the fluid ports 11, with simple machining operations and/or by injection of polymer material (plastic).

(21) It is important to note that the fact that the connectors 2 are separate from the mounting plate 1 considerably simplifies, or even completely eliminates,

(22) the machining of these components. In fact, producing the mounting plate 1 and the connectors 2 in a single piece would be much more difficult and expensive. In particular this could not be done by moulding because of the grooves 12 if the fluid ports 11 are not arranged in-line.

(23) As explained previously, the fluid connection device according to the invention considerably simplifies handling operations: In order to remove a fluid component 3, it is sufficient to disconnect it from the holding plate 1, without affecting the fluid conduits or pipes 10 which remain held in position by the holding plate 1; When a fluid component 3 is remounted, once it is clamped against the holding plate 1, the fluid connections between the pipes 11 and the fluid ports 11 are automatically re-established; The fluid conduits 10 can also be manipulated very easily. In fact, when the fluid component 3 is removed, a pipe 10 optionally with a connector 2 mounted at the end can easily be removed or replaced by passing it through the opening in the holding plate 1.

(24) The fluid connection device according to the invention thus makes it possible to retain the advantages of a fluid system design in which the fluid components 3 are connected by flexible pipes 10 (such as for example ease of integration and modularity), whilst avoiding the problems of cutting the pipes 10 during maintenance.

(25) It is possible to design an apparatus by arranging the essential fluid components 3 so that they can be easily accessed by an operator for exchange or maintenance without his being hindered by the fluid conduits 10. The fluid components 3 can for example be placed on one face of a holding plate 1 that is directly accessible when the apparatus is opened, with all the conduits 10 arranged on the other side of this holding plate 1.

(26) The fluid connection device according to the invention can of course be used in any analysis system utilizing fluid components 3.

(27) By way of a non-limitative example, it may in particular be utilized in order to produce a blood analyzing device, as described in the document WO 2006/103335, which makes it possible to determine the total number of leukocytes in a blood sample,

(28) a distribution of these leukocytes into sub-populations, number of erythrocytes and platelets, and haemoglobin level.

(29) In this case, the fluid components 3 can comprise in particular: reservoirs intended for receiving the blood sample, and/or for carrying out dilution and lysis operations, a set of measurement tanks for carrying out electrical impedance and/or optical flow cytometry measurement operations, in order to count cells, syringes for moving the fluids, valves and manifolds for configuring the hydraulic circuit depending on the operations.

(30) Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described, and numerous adjustments can be made to these examples without exceeding the scope of the invention.