MECHANICALLY DRIVEN SEQUENCING MANIFOLD

Abstract

The subject of this application is a sequencing manifold for the purpose of supplying control and supply services of pre-determined temporal sequences to fluid processing assemblies. The functioning of this sequencing manifold requires that translation be applied to the sequencing ports. Actuator mechanisms may supply such translation as either continuous motion or as a series of stepwise motions. Actuator mechanism can be obtained that rely on only mechanical means without the need for a source of electricity. With such actuators, it becomes feasible to conduct the operations of fluid processing assemblies in remote and primitive locations that lack a source of electricity. One skilled in the mechanical arts can provide various actuator mechanisms to meet these requirements.

The figures included below with the description of attributes are intended to convey an understanding of the mechanical principles underpinning the operation of the sequencing manifold. For reasons of clarity, the figures depict configurations involving apparently geometrically flat plates rather than more complex configurations involving cylinders or circular discs. The omission of configurations involving cylinder or discs from the figures included with this application is not meant to be limiting in any manner.

Claims

1. A sequencing manifold comprising: a first plate having a top face, a bottom face, a thickness, a lateral extent, and one or more supply ports penetrating the thickness of the first plate; a second plate having a top face, a bottom face, a thickness, a lateral extent, and one or more control ports penetrating the thickness of the second plate, the second plate being in a fixed position relative to the first plate; a third plate having a top face, a bottom face, a thickness, a lateral extent, and one or more sequence ports penetrating the thickness of the third plate, the third plate being positioned in fluid communication with both the top face of the first plate and the bottom face of the second plate, and translatable therebetween from a first position to a second position, relative to the first plate and the second plate, wherein, when the third plate translates to the first position, at least one of the sequence ports on the third plate comes into fluid communication with at least one of the supply ports on the first plate and at least one of the control ports on the second plate to form a sequencing gate, and wherein, when the third plate translates to the second position, at least one sequence port on the third plate is no longer in fluid communication with at least one supply port on the first plate or at least one control port on the second plate, such that the fluid communication between the supply port on the first plate and the control port on the second plate is engaged or interrupted based on the position of the sequence port in the third plate relative to the first and second plates.

2. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein the first plate and the third plate are retained and the control ports of the second plate are incorporated onto the first plate, such that the second plate is omitted, the sequencing manifold comprising: a first plate having a top face, a bottom face, a thickness, a lateral extent, and one or more supply ports and one or more control ports penetrating the thickness of the first plate; a third plate having a top face, a bottom face, a thickness, a lateral extent, and one or more sequence ports, the third plate being positioned in fluid communication with the first plate, and translatable thereagainst from a first position to a second position, relative to the first plate, wherein, the one or more of sequence ports in the third plate each, individually, comprise an inlet orifice and an outlet orifice that do not penetrate the full thickness of the third plate, and where the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice are laterally displaced from each other, both the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice being located on the surface of the third plate that is proximal to the first plate, and where the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice are connected via a transfer channel contained within the thickness of the third plate, and wherein, when the third plate translates to the first position, at least one of the sequence ports on the third plate comes into fluid communication with at least one of the supply ports and at least one of the control ports on the first plate to form a sequencing gate, and where, when the third plate translates towards the second position, at least one sequence port on the third plate is not in fluid communication with at least one supply port on the first plate or at least one control port on the first plate, such that the fluid communication between the supply port and the control port on the first plate is engaged or interrupted based on the position of the sequence port in the third plate relative to the first plate.

3. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, further comprising translation of the third plate to one or more additional positions, such that the position of the third plate after translation becomes a new first position, and wherein the one or more sequence ports engage or interrupt fluid communication between one or more supply ports and control ports with a specific sequence.

4. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein, the fluid communication through the sequencing gate is engaged or interrupted at a time interval after initiation of translation that is determined by the locations of the one or more supply ports, one or more sequence ports, and one or more control ports in their respective plates, a velocity of translation, and the initial position of the third plate relative to the first and second plates.

5. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein the duration of fluid communication from the supply port to the control port through the sequencing port, is determined by the lengths of the ports along the vector of translation and a velocity of translation.

6. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein multiple individual sequencing gates are ganged together.

7. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the supply ports in the first plate, each individually, comprise an inlet orifice arranged on the bottom face of the first plant and an outlet orifice arranged on the top face of the first plate, the outlet orifice on the first plate being proximate to an inlet orifice on the third plate, wherein, the inlet orifice on the first plate and the outlet orifice on the first plate are laterally displaced from each other, the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice being connected via a transfer channel contained within the thickness of the first plate, and wherein, a single inlet orifice on the first plate is connected to one or more outlet orifices through multiple transfer channels.

8. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the control ports in the second plate, each individually, comprise an inlet orifice arranged on the bottom surface of the second plate and an outlet orifice arranged on the top surface of the second plate, the inlet orifice on the second plate being an outlet orifice on the third plate, wherein, the inlet orifice on the second plate and the outlet orifice on the second plate are laterally displaced from each other, the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice being connected via a transfer channel contained within the thickness of the second plate, and wherein, a single inlet orifice on the second plate is connected to one or more outlet orifices through multiple transfer channels.

9. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein the sequence ports in the third plate comprise one or a plurality of inlet orifices located on the bottom of the third plate, and comprise one or a plurality of outlet orifices located on the top of the third plate, the plurality of sequence orifices being the same size or different sizes.

10. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein the third plate is translatable relative to the first plate along a vector of lineal translation or rotational translation, or a combination of lineal and rotational translation.

11. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein the face of the first plate, second plate, and third plate that are in fluid communication and in contact with each other have a lubricant or lubricious coating to provide a seal to prevent the flow of fluid along unintended pathways.

12. A sequencing manifold according to claim 1, wherein the face of the first plate, second plate, and third plate that are in fluid communication and in contact with each other have a lubricant or lubricious coating to provide reduced friction between the moving parts.

13. A sequencing manifold for supply of one or more supply services to a fluid processing assembly, the sequencing manifold comprising: a movable plate having a bottom surface and a plurality of sequence ports for supplying one or more supply services to a fluid processing assembly; a fixed plate having a top surface proximate to the bottom surface of the movable plate and having one or more supply or control ports in fluid connection with one or more of the sequence ports to supply one or more supply services to the fluid processing assembly, wherein, the movable plate is translatable with respect to the fixed plate along a vector of lineal translation or rotational translation, or a combination of lineal translation and rotational translation, such that one or more of the supply or control ports are engaged or interrupted with the sequence ports to supply the one or more supply services to the fluid processing assembly through a change of the relative position of the movable plate with respect to the fixed plate.

14. A sequencing manifold according to claim 13, wherein the sequencing manifold comprises one or two fixed plates and a single plate translatable relative to the fixed plate or plates.

15. A sequencing manifold according to claim 13, wherein the one or more supply services comprises gases at supra-ambient pressures, vent to ambient pressure, gases at sub-ambient pressures, fluids, or solutions.

16. A sequencing manifold according to claim 14, wherein the one or more supply services comprises gases at supra-ambient pressures, vent to ambient pressure, gases at sub-ambient pressures, fluids, or solutions.

17. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, further comprising translation of the third plate to one or more additional positions, such that the position of the third plate after translation becomes a new first position, and wherein the one or more sequencing ports engage or interrupt fluid communication between supply ports and control ports with a specific sequence.

18. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein fluid communication through the sequencing gate or gates is engaged or interrupted at a time interval after initiation of translation that is determined by the locations of the one or more supply ports, one or more sequence ports, and one or more control ports on their respective plates, a velocity of translation, and the initial position of the third plate relative to the first plate upon initiation of translation.

19. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein the duration of fluid communication from the supply port to the control port through of the sequence port is determined by the lengths of the ports along a vector of translation and a velocity of translation.

20. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein multiple individual sequencing gates are ganged together.

21. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein one or more of the supply ports in the first plate, each individually, comprise an outlet orifice on the top face of the first plate, and an inlet orifice on the bottom face of the first plate. wherein, the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice on the first plate are laterally displaced from each other, the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice being connected via a transfer channel contained within the thickness of the first plate, and wherein, a single inlet orifice to a supply port on the first plate is connected to one or more outlet orifices through multiple transfer channels.

22. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein one or more of the control ports, each individually comprises an inlet orifice on the top face of the first plate and an outlet orifice on the bottom face of the first plate, wherein, the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice on the first plate are laterally displaced from each other, the inlet orifice and the outlet orifice being connected via a transfer channel contained within the thickness of the first plate, and wherein, a single inlet orifice on the first plate is connected to one or more outlet orifices through multiple transfer channels.

23. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein the sequence ports in the third plate comprise one or a plurality of inlet orifices located on the bottom of the third plate, and comprise one or a plurality of outlet orifices located on the bottom of the third plate, the plurality of sequence orifices being the same size or different sizes.

24. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein the third plate is translatable relative to the first plate along a vector of lineal translation or rotational translation, or a combination of lineal and rotational translation.

25. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein the face of the first plate and third plate that are in fluid communication and in contact with each other have a lubricant or lubricious coating to provide a seal to prevent the flow of supply services along unintended pathways.

26. A sequencing manifold according to claim 2, wherein the face of the first plate and third plate that are in fluid communication and in contact with each other have a lubricant or lubricious coating to provide reduced friction between the moving parts.

27. A sequencing manifold according to claim 13, wherein the movable plate comprises a cylinder or portion of a cylinder.

Description

[0044] FIG. 1. Temporal Output of Control Pulses from a Sequencing Gate Determined by the Translation of Sequence Ports

[0045] FIG. 1 depicts only restricted segments of Plate 1 (101), Plate 2 (102), or Plate 3 (103). The full lateral extent of each plate has been omitted for the sake of clarity. As Plate 2 (102) translates past the supply port (201) in Plate 1 (101) and the control port (203) in Plate 3 (103), a temporal sequence of supply service pulses is produced as indicated in the graph on the right. The physical locations of sequence ports (104, 105, 106) in Plate 2 and the translational velocity determines the temporal sequence of when each control pulse is initiated. The dimension of each sequence port parallel to the translation vector and the translational velocity determines how long each control pulse persists. The alignments of supply, sequence, and control ports that comprise a sequencing gate is shown in cross section in FIG. 2.

[0046] FIG. 2. Cross Sectional View of the Alignments of Supply, Sequence and Control Ports During Functioning of a Sequencing Gate

[0047] FIG. 3. Two Ganged Sequencing Gates on a Single Sequencing Manifold.

[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates how multiple control outputs to different functions on the fluid processing assembly may be obtained by ganging sequencing gates side-by-side on Plate 1 (301), Plate 2 (302), and Plate 3 (303). In this figure, two sequencing gates are ganged, but this design strategy may be extended to larger numbers of sequencing gates on a single sequencing manifold.

[0049] FIG. 4. Supply Ports with Non-Coaxial Orifices and Internal Transfer Channels

[0050] The sequencing gates in FIG. 4 are designated 1 through 4, from left to right. While supply service, S1, is applied to gates 1 and 3, only control port 1 is active because the sequence port for gate 3 has not yet come into alignment. Similarly, only control port 4 is active in FIG. 4.

[0051] FIG. 5. Control Ports with Non-Coaxial Orifices

[0052] FIG. 6 depicts how the control ports of FIG. 5 may be extended to accept additional supply services. As depicted, the arrangement in FIG. 6 comprises a 4-state sequence gate wherein the initiation and duration of each supply state is determined by the physical locations of the sequence ports in Plate 2 (602). The design strategy of FIG. 6 can be extended to arbitrary combinations of supply inputs through sequence ports to multi-state control outputs.

[0053] FIG. 6. Four Supply Inputs Configured to Provide a 4-State Sequencing Gate

[0054] FIG. 7. Three Plate Configuration with Non-Axial Orifices in the Supply and Control Ports.

[0055] FIG. 7 shows a combination of four sequencing gates with two supply inputs and four independent control outputs. The gates are activated by lineal translation of the sequence plate, Plate 2 (702).

[0056] FIG. 8. Two Plate Configuration

[0057] FIG. 8 provides a diagram of the two plate configuration, where supply ports (804, 807) and control ports (805, 806) are incorporated into plate 1 (801). The sequence ports (803) in Plate 2 (802) are non-coaxial and connected by a transfer channel contained within Plate 2.

[0058] FIG. 9. Three Plate Configuration, rotational actuation

[0059] FIG. 9 illustrates implementation of the three plate configuration using rotational translation. Rotational actuation of Plate 2 (902) relative to Plate 1 (901) and Plate 3 (903) is performed. A central pin (904) can be used to guide the rotational actuation.

[0060] FIG. 10: Three Plate configuration, non-planar actuation

[0061] FIG. 10 illustrates implementation of the non-planar three Plates configuration. A side view shows planar Plate 1 (1001) and Plate 3 (1003), with a non-planar Plate 2 (1002). Actuation is implemented in a non-planar fashion along the translation arrow.

[0062] FIG. 11: Use of sliding manifold to control a diaphragm valve.

[0063] FIG. 12: Use of sliding manifold to control three diaphragm valves in parallel and achieve peristaltic pumping.

[0064] FIG. 13: Use of sliding manifold to implement multistep protocol in fluid processing assembly.

SUMMARY

[0065] The sequencing manifolds described in this application provide a means of managing sequenced fluid movements in a fluid processing assembly without the use of electromechanical components. The moving parts in the sequencing manifold program the sequence of supply services to the fluid processing assembly in a pre-programmed and controlled manner. The requirements for operation is the application of a mechanical force to drive the moving parts along the sequence of orifices that provide intermittent connections to the supply ports connected to the fluid processing assembly. The mechanical force can be provided by any of a number of non-electrical mechanisms including as an example, springs or manual operation. By managing the direction of movement of the moving parts in the manifold, the overall size of the sequencing manifold can minimized to meet the need for portability and application in a remote environment.