Patent ID: 11913916
Assignee: WATERS TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. A liquid chromatography system comprising:
a solvent delivery system;
a sample manager having a thermal chamber, the thermal chamber including:
a sampling mechanism mounted within the thermal chamber, the sampling mechanism including;
a sample platter, the sample platter including at least one carrier bay for receiving a sample vial carrier having an array of sample vials loaded therein;
a needle drive including:
a base including a shaft configured to rotate about a vertical axis, the base attachable to an interior of a sample manager of a liquid chromatography system such that the vertical axis remains in a fixed position;
a needle assembly attached to the base, the needle assembly including a sample needle and a drive system including a sample needle motor configured to impart vertical movement of the sample needle;

a sample delivery system in fluidic communication with the solvent delivery system, the sample delivery system configured to transfer a first sample from the sample vial carrier located in the sample platter into a chromatographic flow stream;
a liquid chromatography column located downstream from the solvent delivery system and the sample delivery system; and
a detector located downstream from the liquid chromatography column,
wherein the needle assembly is attachably removable from the base of the needle drive with a plurality of accessible bolts, wherein the sample manager further includes a door providing a technician access to the thermal chamber when opened, wherein the needle drive is removable from the thermal chamber through the door, wherein rotation of the shaft in the vertical axis moves the needle assembly to facilitate providing complete coverage over the sample vial carrier located in the sample platter when the vertical axis remains in the fixed position.