Claims
- 1. A fluid handling system, comprising:
a pin assembly comprising a plurality of components for handling a fluid; and a cooling element for cooling one of said components of the pin assembly, whereby a fluid to be handled by the pin assembly is cooled so as to reduce evaporation.
- 2. The fluid handling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is a Peltier element.
- 3. The fluid handling system of claim 1, wherein the pin assembly comprises a base, a first pin coupled to the base having a tip, and a second pin coupled to the base having a tip.
- 4. The fluid handling system of claim 3, wherein the tip of the second pin is spaced from the tip of the first pin to form a cavity for receiving a fluid volume.
- 5. The fluid handling system of claim 4, wherein the cavity retains the fluid volume by capillary forces.
- 6. The fluid handling system of claim 4, wherein the cooling element reduces evaporation of the fluid volume held in the cavity.
- 7. The fluid handling system of claim 1, wherein the pin assembly is formed according to a microfabrication technique.
- 8. The fluid handling system of claim 1, wherein the cooling element is attached to one of said components.
- 9. The fluid handling system of claim 1, wherein the pin assembly comprises a holder and the cooling element cools the holder.
- 10. The fluid handling system of claim 1, further comprising a temperature control system for controlling the temperature of the pin assembly.
- 11. The fluid handling system of claim 10, wherein the temperature control system comprises:
a temperature sensor for measuring an actual temperature of the system; and a controller for comparing the actual temperature to a reference temperature and for actuating the cooling element to adjust the actual temperature to equal the reference temperature.
- 12. The fluid handling system of claim 11, wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thin-film resistor.
- 13. A liquid dispensing system for transferring liquids, comprising a pin-type liquid dispensing assembly and a cooled holder.
- 14. The liquid dispensing system of claim 13, wherein the holder is cooled by a Peltier type element.
- 15. The liquid dispensing system of claim 13, wherein the pin-type liquid dispensing assembly comprises a cavity for receiving a liquid volume.
- 16. The liquid dispensing system of claim 13, wherein the pin-type liquid dispensing assembly is manufactured by microfabrication technology.
- 17. The liquid dispensing system of claim 13, further comprising a temperature control system for controlling the temperature of the liquid dispensing system.
- 18. The liquid dispensing system of claim 17, wherein the temperature control system comprises:
a temperature sensor for measuring an actual temperature of the system; and a controller for comparing the actual temperature to a reference temperature and triggering the cooling element to adjust the actual temperature to equal the reference temperature.
- 19. The liquid dispensing system of claim 18, wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thin-film resistor.
- 20. A method for reducing evaporation in a fluid handling system for handling for fluid, comprising the steps of:
providing a pin assembly comprising one or more pins; and lowering the temperature of the pin to reduce evaporation of the fluid.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the pin assembly comprises a first pin having a first tip and a second pin having a second tip spaced from the first tip to define a liquid acquisition region for holding a liquid volume.
- 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the pin-type liquid dispensing assembly includes a cooling element and the step of lowering the temperature comprises activating the cooling element.
- 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the cooling element comprises a Peltier element.
- 24. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:
measuring the temperature of the liquid carrying element; comparing the measured temperature to a reference temperature; and modifying the temperature of the liquid carrying element if the measured temperature deviates from the reference temperature so that the measured temperature substantially matches the reference temperature.
- 25. A system for handling a liquid sample, comprising:
a holder; a first pin coupled to the holder and having a first tip; a second pin coupled to the holder and having a second tip spaced a predetermined separation distance from the first tip to define a sample acquisition region for holding the liquid sample; and a temperature control element for controlling the temperature of said first and second pin.
- 26. A fluid handling system, comprising
a pin assembly for handling a fluid, and a temperature control element coupled to the pin assembly for controlling the temperature of the pin assembly.
- 27. The fluid handling system of claim 26, wherein said pin assembly comprises a first pin having a tip, and a second pin having a tip, said tips of the first and second pins forming a cavity sized and configured for receiving the fluid.
- 28. The fluid handling system of claim 27, wherein said pin assembly further comprises a holder coupled to said first and second pins.
- 29. The fluid handling system of claim 27, wherein said pin assembly comprises a relaxation region coupled to one of said pins.
- 30. The fluid handling system of claim 27, wherein said pin assembly further comprises an actuator for actuating at least one of said pins.
- 31. The fluid handling system of claim 30, wherein said pin assembly further comprises a sensor for sensing movement of one of said pins.
- 32. The fluid handling system of claim 26, further comprising a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the assembly, and a controller in circuit with the temperature control element and the temperature sensor for controlling the temperature of the pin assembly.
- 33. The fluid handling system of claim 27, wherein said first pin is stationary and said second pin is movable, said pin assembly further comprising a fulcrum region coupled to said movable pin.
- 34. The fluid handling system of claim 34, further comprising a driver coupled to said fulcrum region for moving said second pin.
- 35. A method for handling a fluid, comprising
providing a pin assembly for handling the fluid, and controlling the temperature of the pin assembly.
- 36. The method of claim 35, wherein said pin assembly comprises a first pin and a second pin, said method further comprising moving one of said first and second pins.
- 37. The method of claim 36, further comprising sensing movement of one of said pins.
- 38. A fluid handling system, comprising
a pin assembly for handling the fluid, and a temperature control system coupled to the pin assembly for controlling the temperature of the pin assembly.
- 39. The fluid handling system of claim 38, wherein said temperature control system comprises a temperature control element coupled to the pin assembly for controlling the temperature thereof, a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of said pin assembly, and a controller in circuit with said temperature control element and said temperature sensor for controlling the temperature control element.
- 40. A pin assembly, comprising
a first microfabricated pin, a second microfabricated pin, and a holder for holding the first and second pins.
- 41. The pin assembly of claim 40, further comprising a temperature control element coupled to one of said first pin, said second pin, and said holder for controlling the temperature of the pin assembly.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/372,562, filed Apr. 11, 2002, and is a continuation-in-part patent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/027,171, filed Dec. 21, 2001, the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
Provisional Applications (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
|
60372562 |
Apr 2002 |
US |
Continuation in Parts (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10027171 |
Dec 2001 |
US |
Child |
10328973 |
Dec 2002 |
US |