Patent ID: 8262990
Filing Date: 2012-09-11
Classification: F04B,G01N,G05D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A fluidic system for unclogging a flow channel of a flow cytometer including an interrogation zone and a system fluid with a pressure and a flow rate, the fluidic system comprising: a sheath pump adapted to pump the system fluid from a sheath container into the interrogation zone; a waste pump adapted to pump the system fluid from the interrogation zone into a waste container; a motor with motor controls coupled to at least one of the pumps of the fluidic system; a clog detector that automatically detects clogs in the flow channel; and a controller connected to the motor and the clog detector and configured to vary the pumping rate of at least one of the pumps of the fluidic system to vary the flow rate of the system fluid and induce a commensurate change in the pressure of the system fluid to create pulsations within the system fluid in response to detection of a clog that provides to unclog the flow channel of the flow cytometer, wherein the controller is configured to create pulsations that have a pulsation pressure that is at least five time greater than the pressure of the system fluid.