阅读说明：本技术 用于改善液体处理的系统和方法 (System and method for improved liquid handling ) 是由 G·霍拉克 S·沙米 A·若尔丹 G·若尔丹 于 2019-08-08 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种液体处理系统和方法包括液体处理装置和端头盒,该液体处理装置具有多个移液头,该端头盒具有用于能够移除地附接至移液头的多个端头。在将该移液头插入该端头中期间,杠杆机构接合该液体处理装置和端头盒,以减小所需的插入力。(A liquid processing system and method includes a liquid processing device having a plurality of pipetting heads and a tip cassette having a plurality of tips for removably attaching to the pipetting heads. A lever mechanism engages the liquid handling device and tip cassette during insertion of the pipetting head into the tip to reduce the required insertion force.)

1. A liquid treatment system, comprising:

a liquid processing apparatus having a plurality of pipetting heads;

a tip cartridge having a plurality of tips configured for removable attachment to the pipetting head; and

a lever mechanism configured to engage the liquid processing device and the tip cartridge during a process of moving the liquid processing device along a central axis in a direction of the tip cartridge to attach the tip to the pipetting head, the lever mechanism comprising:

a first lever arm attached to a first fulcrum proximate the central axis, extending outwardly from the central axis, and terminating at a first arm end; and

a second lever arm attached to a second fulcrum proximate the central axis, extending outwardly from the central axis, and terminating at a second arm end,

wherein the lever mechanism is configured to receive a force from the liquid handling device proximate the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum, the first lever arm and the second lever arm applying opposing forces to push the tip cartridge and the liquid handling device together.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second lever arms are configured to apply the opposing forces by engaging opposing sides of a perimeter of the tip cartridge by the first and second arm ends to urge the tip cartridge toward the liquid handling device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first and second lever arms comprise flanges, the first and second lever arms configured to apply the opposing forces by engaging a flange of the perimeter of the tip cartridge with the flanges of the first and second lever arms.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the perimeter of the head cartridge having a first perimeter member on a first side of the head cartridge and a second perimeter member on an opposite side of the head cartridge; and is

The lever mechanism is configured such that the first arm end engages the first peripheral member and the second arm end engages the second peripheral member when the lever mechanism applies the opposing force.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second lever arms are configured to apply the opposing forces by engaging opposing sides of a perimeter of the liquid handling device by the first and second arm ends to urge the liquid handling device toward the tip cartridge.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein:

the perimeter of the liquid handling device comprises a first perimeter member on a first side of the liquid handling device and a second perimeter member on an opposite side of the liquid handling device; and is

The lever mechanism is configured such that the first arm end engages the first peripheral member and the second arm end engages the second peripheral member when the lever applies the opposing force.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the first and second peripheral members each comprise a hook;

the first arm end and the second arm end are cylindrical;

the first arm end is configured to engage the first peripheral member by moving the cylindrical first arm end within a hook of the first peripheral member; and is

The second arm end is configured to engage the second peripheral member by moving the cylindrical second arm end within the hook of the second peripheral member.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid handling device further comprises a resilient member configured to flex during insertion of the pipetting head into the tip to uniformly exert a force on the tip.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the tip cassette further comprises a resilient member configured to flex during insertion of the pipetting head into the tip to uniformly exert a force on the tip.

10. A method for joining components during liquid handling, the method comprising:

providing a liquid handling device having a plurality of pipetting heads;

providing a tip cartridge having a plurality of tips configured for removable attachment to the pipetting head;

aligning the liquid handling device and the tip cartridge along a central axis;

positioning a lever mechanism along the central axis to engage the liquid processing device and the tip cartridge during a process of moving the liquid processing device along the central axis in a direction of the tip cartridge to attach the tip to the pipetting head, the lever mechanism comprising: a first lever arm attached to a first fulcrum located proximate the central axis, extending outwardly from the central axis, and terminating at a first arm end; and a second lever arm attached to a second fulcrum located proximate the central axis, extending outwardly from the central axis, and terminating at a second arm end, an

Attaching the tip to the pipetting head by moving the liquid handling device along the central axis to apply a force proximate to the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum such that the first lever arm and the second lever arm apply opposing forces to push the tip cartridge and the liquid handling device together.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, the opposing forces are applied by engaging opposing sides of a perimeter of the tip cartridge by the first and second arm ends to urge the tip cartridge toward the liquid handling device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the opposing forces are applied by engaging a flange of the perimeter of the tip cartridge with the flanges of the first and second lever arms during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting tip, the lever mechanism applies the opposing force by engaging a first peripheral member on a first side of the tip with the first arm end and a second peripheral member on an opposite side of the tip cartridge with the second arm end.

14. The method of claim 10, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, applying the opposing forces by engaging opposing sides of a perimeter of the liquid handling device by the first arm end and the second arm end to urge the liquid handling device toward the tip cartridge.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting tip, the lever mechanism applies the opposing force by engaging a first peripheral member on a first side of the liquid handling device with the first arm end and a second peripheral member on an opposite side of the liquid handling device with the second arm end.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the first and second peripheral members each comprise a hook;

the first arm end and the second arm end are cylindrical; and is

During the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting tip, moving the cylindrical first arm end within the hook of the first peripheral member and moving the cylindrical second arm end within the hook of the second peripheral member.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, a resilient member of the liquid handling device flexes to uniformly exert a force on the tip.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, an elastic member of the tip cartridge flexes to uniformly apply a force on the tip.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of chemical, biological and biochemical processes or reactions. More specifically, the present disclosure discloses improved systems and methods for treating liquids in the above-mentioned fields.

Background

Liquid handling processes are important in the fields of biology, biochemistry and chemistry for conducting experiments, particularly in vitro experiments.

In general, a "liquid handler" or "liquid handling device" is used herein to describe any device capable of aspirating a sample from a source consumable and dispensing the same sample (or aliquot) into a target consumable. In particular, we identify those systems designed to perform liquid processing (as defined above) in various consumables typically identified and configured by liquid processing users as generic liquid processors. Some examples of universal liquid handlers are Beckman Coulter Biomek, TECAN Evo, Qiagen qiacrube, Andrew Alliance Andrew robot, mechanical hand pipettes or electronic liquid handling pipettes. All existing liquid handlers may be characterized by a bench space where consumables are placed and a "liquid handling head" that transfers samples from one or more source consumables to one or more target consumables. In the above examples, the manual pipette (or a portion thereof) may both be considered a liquid handler or a liquid handling head (the user and laboratory bench being part of the liquid handler). More narrowly we define a flexible liquid handler as a liquid handling device designed to serve loosely predefined liquid handling steps that may vary from time to time in sequence, order, length or between loosely predefined consumables. The process performed by the flexible liquid handler is defined as a flexible liquid handling process.

The term "consumable" is defined herein as any container of liquid or suspension, such as, but not limited to, a tube, a microtube, an evacuated blood collection tube, a tube array, a microplate of all sizes, a microchip, a petri dish, a strip and the like. The term "tip" is used herein to describe a specific consumable that can be physically attached to a liquid handling head and is designed to temporarily store liquid between a suctioning step and a dispensing step. Tips for liquid treatment are generally intended to act as a removable or permanent interface between a fluid and a liquid treatment device. In particular embodiments, the tip may be intended to contain fluid aspirated and dispensed by the liquid handler. The tip may be considered a disposable tip when the tip is used a single time (typically to prevent contamination), and a permanent tip when the tip is used multiple times. The tip typically features a lower hole to allow aspiration of the sample from its open surface and dispensing of the collected liquid through the same orifice. During both steps, the liquid is held in the tip by holding the liquid in the tip under the action of a downward pressure on a surface of the liquid and by utilizing the properties of viscosity and surface tension of the liquid.

Since liquid handling is one of the most repetitive and widespread activities in the fields of life sciences and diagnostics, any improvement in liquid handling methods has a significant impact in industrial activities and can lead to significant cost savings and quality improvements. For example, the act of transferring a sample from one consumable to another exposes the risk of sample loss during transfer, as the aspirating and dispensing device can be optimally designed for aspirating and dispensing purposes, rather than for the purpose of isolating the sample during transfer: i.e. in the case of a plastic tip with a hole in the bottom. In some cases, e.g. in molecular biology applications prior to PCR amplification, the loss of a single molecule during transport may have the consequence of sample contamination: in some applications (e.g., in forensic medicine), the consequences can be catastrophic.

In addition, the complexity and complexity of the pipetting head increases significantly over time: some pipetting heads may include 8, 12, 16, 96, or 384 simultaneous aspiration and dispense channels operating simultaneously or independently. Such heads become so heavy that accurate and fast movement of such heads over the consumable can present significant challenges to the mechanical structure, which must be sized and dimensioned accordingly.

More and more channels in the liquid handler additionally increase the risk of sample contamination. Since liquid handlers typically draw and dispense liquid from their top surface in contact with air, they have exposed orifices in their bottom area: therefore, the possibility of liquid dripping, aerosol and vapor dispersion cannot be excluded.

The term "docking" is used herein to describe the act of physically connecting or disconnecting an object. The docking may be achieved by mechanical means or by non-material means, for example by the action of a force field. For a given liquid handling operation, the removable tip is docked to the pipetting head of the liquid handler. Attaching a pipetting head to a removable tip may require a significant amount of force. To address this situation, various solutions have been used, including magnetic systems and active systems. This can result in a much more complex system, resulting in a heavier and more expensive liquid handling system.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect of the present disclosure, the subject technology provides a simplified liquid handling system that uses mechanical levers to amplify the input force while reducing the insertion required to connect the pipetting head to the tip, and related liquid handling methods.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the subject technology relates to a liquid treatment system having a liquid treatment device with a plurality of pipetting heads. The tip cartridge has a plurality of tips configured for removable attachment to a pipetting head. The lever mechanism is configured to engage the liquid processing device and the tip cartridge during a process of moving the liquid processing device along the central axis in a direction of the tip cartridge to attach the tip to the pipetting tip. The lever mechanism includes a first lever arm and a second lever arm. The first lever arm is attached to a first fulcrum proximate the central axis, extends outwardly from the central axis, and terminates at a first arm end. The second lever arm is attached to a second fulcrum proximate the central axis, extends outwardly from the central axis, and terminates at a second arm end. The lever mechanism is configured to receive a force from the liquid handling device proximate to a first fulcrum and a second fulcrum, the first lever arm and the second lever arm applying opposing forces to push the head cartridge and the liquid handling device together.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the first lever arm and the second lever are configured to apply opposing forces by engaging opposing sides of a perimeter of a cartridge with the first arm end and the second arm end to urge the cartridge toward the liquid processing device. The first lever arm and the second lever arm may include flanges, the first lever arm and the second lever arm configured to apply opposing forces by engaging the flange of the perimeter of the tip cartridge with the flanges of the first lever arm and the second lever arm. The perimeter of the head cartridge may include a first perimeter member on a first side of the head cartridge and a second perimeter member on an opposite side of the head cartridge. The lever mechanism may be configured such that the first arm end engages the first peripheral member and the second arm end engages the second peripheral member when the lever mechanism applies opposing forces.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the first lever arm and the second lever arm are configured to apply opposing forces by engaging opposing sides of a perimeter of the liquid handling device by the first arm end and the second arm end to urge the liquid handling device toward the head cartridge. The perimeter of the liquid treatment device may comprise a first perimeter member on a first side of the liquid treatment device and a second perimeter member on an opposite side of the liquid treatment device. The lever mechanism may be configured such that the first arm end engages the first peripheral member and the second arm end engages the second peripheral member when the lever applies an opposing force. The first and second peripheral members may each include a hook, and the first and second arm ends may be cylindrical. The first arm end can be configured to engage the first peripheral member by moving the cylindrical first arm end within the hook of the first peripheral member. The second arm end can be configured to engage the second peripheral member by moving the cylindrical second arm end within the hook of the second peripheral member.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the liquid handling device includes a resilient member configured to flex during insertion of the pipetting head into the tip to uniformly apply a force on the tip.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the tip cassette includes a resilient member configured to flex during insertion of the pipette head into the tip to uniformly apply a force on the tip.

In one aspect of the disclosure, the subject technology relates to a method for joining components during liquid processing. A liquid processing apparatus having a plurality of pipetting heads is provided. A tip cartridge is provided having a plurality of tips configured for removable attachment to a pipetting head. The liquid handling device and the tip cartridge are aligned along a central axis. Positioning a lever mechanism along the central axis to engage the liquid processing device and the tip cartridge during a process of moving the liquid processing device along the central axis in a direction of the tip cartridge to attach the tip to the pipetting tip. The lever mechanism includes a first lever arm attached to a first fulcrum located proximate the central axis, extending outwardly from the central axis, and terminating at a first arm end. The lever mechanism also includes a second lever arm attached to a second fulcrum located proximate the central axis, extending outwardly from the central axis, and terminating at a second arm end. The tip is attached to the pipetting head by moving the liquid handling device along the central axis to apply a force proximate the first fulcrum and the second fulcrum such that the first lever arm and the second lever arm apply opposing forces to push the tip cartridge and the liquid handling device together.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, opposing forces are applied by engaging opposing sides of a perimeter of the tip cartridge by the first arm end and the second arm end to urge the tip cartridge toward the liquid handling device. In some embodiments, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, opposing forces are applied by engaging a flange of the perimeter of the tip cartridge with a flange of the first lever arm and the second lever arm. In some embodiments, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, the lever mechanism applies the opposing force by engaging a first peripheral member on a first side of the tip with the first arm end and a second peripheral member on an opposite side of the tip cartridge with the second arm end.

In one aspect of the disclosure, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, opposing forces are applied by engaging opposing sides of the perimeter of the liquid handling device by the first arm end and the second arm end to urge the liquid handling device toward the tip cartridge. In some embodiments, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting tip, the lever mechanism applies the opposing force by engaging a first peripheral member on a first side of the liquid handling device with the first arm end and a second peripheral member on an opposite side of the liquid handling device with the second arm end. The first and second peripheral members may each include a hook, and the first and second arm ends may be cylindrical. In some embodiments, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting tip, the cylindrical first arm end is moved within the hook of the first peripheral member and the cylindrical second arm end is moved within the hook of the second peripheral member.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, the resilient member of the liquid handling device flexes to apply a force uniformly on the tip.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, during the step of attaching the tip to the pipetting head, the resilient member of the tip cartridge flexes to uniformly apply a force on the tip.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a liquid treatment system according to the subject technology.

Fig. 2 is a front view of the liquid treatment system of fig. 1 in a different position.

Fig. 3 is another view of the liquid treatment system of fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a front view of the liquid treatment system of fig. 1 in a different position.

Fig. 5 a-5 c are front views of different embodiments of liquid treatment systems in different positions according to the subject technology.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the liquid handling system of fig. 5 a-5 c, showing the applied force.

Fig. 7a is a perspective view of a tip cartridge of the liquid handling system of fig. 5 a-5 c.

Fig. 7b is a perspective view of the liquid handling system of fig. 5 a-5 c.

Fig. 7c to 7d are front views of the liquid treatment system of fig. 5a to 5c in different positions.

Fig. 7e to 7f are front views of the head cartridge of the liquid handling system of fig. 5a to 5c in different positions.

Fig. 8 is a front view of a liquid treatment device of the liquid treatment system of fig. 5a to 5 c.

Fig. 9 is a front view of the liquid handling system of fig. 5 a-5 c showing the liquid handling device and the tip cartridge misaligned.

Detailed Description

The subject technology overcomes many of the problems associated with liquid treatment systems and methods in the prior art. Advantages and other features of the systems and methods disclosed herein will become more readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following detailed description of certain preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which set forth representative embodiments of the invention. Like reference numerals are used herein to denote like parts. Moreover, words indicating orientations such as "upper," "lower," "distal," and "proximal" are used merely to help describe the position of components relative to one another. For example, an "upper" surface of a part is only intended to describe a surface that is separate from a "lower" surface of the same part. Any words expressing an orientation are not to be used as an absolute orientation (i.e., where the "upper" part must always be at the top).

The subject matter herein describes systems and methods for reducing the force required to attach a consumable tip using a simplified passive design solution. The effect of reducing the force is that by reducing the stress on the liquid handler frame it is possible to create a lighter system (which can apply a vertical downward insertion force greater than eight liquid handlers) and a simpler and less expensive liquid handler.

The subject technology is based on the principle of mechanical levers to amplify the input force. The mechanical gain is achieved according to the following law:

F_{output of}＝F_{Input device}*l_{Input device}/l_{Output of}＝F_{Input device}*η

In the above formula, F_{Output of}And F_{Input device}Respectively output and input force,/_{Output of}And l_{Input device}Is the perpendicular distance between these forces and the fulcrum, and η is the mechanical gain of the lever.

Referring now to fig. 1-4, a liquid treatment system 100 in accordance with the subject technology is shown. The liquid handling system 100 includes a liquid handling device 102 that includes a plurality of pipetting heads 104. The tip cartridge 106 includes a plurality of consumable tips (not expressly shown) that may be removably attached to a pipetting head for pipetting for temporarily storing and dispensing liquids in chemical, biological, or biochemical experiments and the like. Typically, the liquid handling device 102 is moved along the central axis "a" into the tip cassette 106 and pressed into the tip cassette 106 by the force "F" to attach the pipetting tip 104 to the tip.

During this process, the lever mechanism 108 engages the liquid handling device 102 and the tip cartridge 106. The lever mechanism 108 includes two lever arms 110a, 110b (generally 110). Each lever arm 110 is fixed at a central position near the central axis "a", a first lever arm 110a extends from a first fulcrum 112a to rotate about a hinge 114a, and a second lever arm 110b extends from a second fulcrum 112b to rotate about a hinge 114 b. The force applied at the fulcrums 112a, 112b (112 as a whole) forces both fulcrums 112 down along the central axis "a", causing rotation of the lever arm 110. As lever arm 110 rotates, lever arm ends 116a, 116b (collectively 116) are displaced upward by a leverage effect less than the downward movement of fulcrum 112. Lever arm ends 116a, 116b engage opposite sides of perimeter 118 of head cartridge 106 and provide a force opposing downward force "F" due to the rotational action of lever arm 110. In the example provided, the perimeter 118 of the tip cartridge 106 includes flanges 120a, 120b that engage flanges on the first and second ends 116a, 116b, respectively. The opposing force applied by the lever arm 110 to the perimeter 118 of the tip cartridge 106 causes the tip cartridge 106 and the liquid handling device 102 to come together so that the tips can be attached to the pipetting tip 104. In this manner, as the liquid handling device 102 pushes the fulcrum 112 downward a distance, the leverage mechanism 108 reduces the amount of force required to attach the pipetting head 104 to the tip by distributing the force "F" applied at the fulcrum 112 through the end 116. This allows the tip to be easily attached to pipetting head 104 even when the downward force "F" is less than the force typically required to attach the tip to the pipette head 104 without the lever mechanism 108.

Specifically, fig. 1 shows the liquid treatment system 100 in a first position before or while the liquid treatment device 102 is moved into the tip cartridge 106 and first engaged with the lever mechanism 108. As the force "F" presses the liquid processing device 102 into the head cartridge 106, the force "F" is applied to the lever mechanism 108 near the fulcrum 112 (that is, near the central axis "a"). The force "F" pushes the fulcrum downward to the position shown in fig. 2, where the pipetting head 104 first engages a tip within the tip magazine 106. This causes the end 116 of the lever arm to move upward and engage the perimeter 118 of the tip cartridge 106. In the example shown, the lever arm 110 pivots about a fixed outer hinge 122 that may be attached to the liquid treatment device 102 or other fixed structure to create the leverage of the lever mechanism 108. As shown in fig. 3, because the distance "D1" between fulcrum hinge 114 and outer hinge 122 is greater than the distance "D2" between outer hinge 122 and the point of engagement between lever arm end 116 and head box perimeter 118, the upward force applied to head box 106 is greater than the downward force "F". Thus, the upward force applied by lever arm 110 to perimeter 118 increases due to the mechanical advantage provided by lever mechanism 108. Finally, in the position shown in fig. 4, the liquid handling device 102 has been moved to a final position in which the pipetting head 104 is fully located within the tip cassette 106 such that the tips have each been attached to a corresponding pipetting head 104.

Referring now to fig. 5-9, a second embodiment of a liquid treatment system 200 according to the subject technology is shown. Generally, the liquid treatment system 200 may include similar components to those of the liquid treatment system 100 and operate according to similar processes and principles, unless otherwise described herein. The primary difference between the system 100 and the system 200 is that the lever mechanism 108 is external to the tip cartridge 106, while the lever mechanism 208 is integrated within the tip cartridge 206. In general, the lever mechanism according to the subject technology can be implemented in either or both of the tip cartridge and/or the liquid handling device, or as a separate device from either.

Still referring to fig. 5-9, as with system 100, liquid handling device 202 includes a plurality of pipetting heads 204, and tip cartridge 206 includes a plurality of consumable tips 224 that can be removably attached to pipetting heads 204 for pipetting for temporarily storing and dispensing liquids in chemical, biological, or biochemical experiments or the like. The system 200 includes a lever mechanism 208 having two lever arms 210a, 210b (210 as a whole). Each lever arm 210 is fixed at a central location within the tip cartridge 206 at a central pivot 214a, 214b (generally 214) to pivot about a pivot point 212a, 212b (generally 212) as force is applied by the liquid treatment device 202, as described in more detail below.

In the system 200, the liquid treatment device 202 includes a body 202a and an adapter portion 202 b. The adaptor portion 202b is provided with a hook optimized to facilitate engagement of the lever arm ends 216a, 216b (216 as a whole). As shown in fig. 5a, as the liquid treatment device 202 moves toward the tip cartridge 206, the hook of the adapter portion 202b moves around the arm end 216. As the pipetting tip 204 contacts the tip 224, the hook wraps around the outside of the arm end 216 and connects to the arm end 216 such that a downward force from the arm end 216 will apply a downward force to the adapter portion 202b, thereby pushing the liquid handling device 202 and the tip cartridge 206 together. As the liquid handling device 202 continues to move downward to secure the tip 224 to the pipetting tip 204, the lever arm 210 is forced into a horizontal position and the arm end 216 is fully connected to and applies a downward force to the hook of the adapter portion 202 b.

In addition to working with the lever mechanism 208, the hook also improves lateral alignment of the pipette head 204 relative to the aperture of the tip 224, allowing the pipette head 204 to be inserted within the tip 224 more reproducibly. The shape and size of the hook can be optimized to guide the positioning of the pipette head 204 within the tip 224 and ensure the desired lateral positioning in one or two dimensions. Further, the hook may be designed to act as a mechanical stop for relative vertical displacement of the pipette head 204 within the tip 224 to ensure the most appropriate vertical position. In one embodiment, one or more of the hooks are equipped with one or more pressure sensors to measure the force applied for insertion of tip 224. When the measured force is different than the optimal insertion force, the system 200 may employ corrective devices, such as an alarm to the user or a device to mechanically limit or increase the force, as desired.

Referring now to FIG. 6, downward "F_{Input device}The "arrows" represent applied forces from the fluid handling device 202 that are applied to the lever mechanism 208 by the tip cartridge 206 as the pipette tip 204 comes into contact with the tip 224. The opposing force generated by the response of the lever mechanism 208 is represented by the downward "F_{Output of}The arrow is shown, which is created by lever arm end 216 acting on adaptor portion 202 b. More specifically, "F" is applied by arm end 216 against adapter portion 202b_{Output of}"force to push the liquid handling device 202 and tip cartridge 206 together for attaching the tip 224 to the pipette tip 204.

Referring now to fig. 7 a-7 b, a system 200 without and with a liquid treatment device 202, respectively, is shown in accordance with the subject technology. The lever arm end 216 in the illustrated example is cylindrical in shape to engage the arcuate hook of the adaptor portion 202b of the treatment device 202. As the liquid handling device 202 moves toward the tip cartridge 206, the hooks of the adapter portion 202b move around the outside of the arm end 216 and then close around and engage the arm end 216, as discussed above.

Referring now to fig. 7 c-7 f, the operation of the lever mechanism 208 is shown. Fig. 7c shows the initial position before the lever mechanism 208 engages the liquid treatment device 202. As the liquid handling device 202 moves toward the tip cartridge 206, the hook of the adapter portion 202b moves around the cylindrical lever arm end 216, as shown in fig. 7 d. The downward force "F" from the processing device 202 causes the central portion of the tip cartridge 206 to move downward (i.e., from the position of fig. 7e to the position of fig. 7F). This in turn causes the lever mechanism 208 to act, wherein the lever arm end 216 pulls down on the hook of the adapter portion 202b to push the liquid handling device 202 and the tip cartridge 206 together.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a liquid treatment device 202 in accordance with the subject technology is illustrated, wherein details of the adapter portion 202b are clearly shown. Specifically, the adaptor portion 202b includes an outer support member 226 and a hook 228. An outer support member 226 is attached around the exterior of the device body 202a to hold the hook 228 in place. After the hook 228 is moved about the lever arm end 216, the outer support member 226 can be manipulated to move the hook toward the central axis "a" to encompass and connect to the lever arm end 216.

Referring now to fig. 9, another embodiment of a system 200 is shown in which the liquid handling device 202 and the tip cartridge are misaligned. This can lead to misalignment between the pipette head 204 and the tip 224 during insertion (not clearly shown in fig. 9). To avoid this problem, the system 200 may include resilient components implemented in the liquid handling device 202, the tip cartridge 206, or both. The deformation or displacement of the resilient member compensates for the possible angle of inclination "b" between the liquid handling device 202 and the cartridge 206. This ensures that the force from the fluid treatment device 202 is more evenly applied to the tips 224 so that all of the tips 224 experience similar applied forces. Additionally or alternatively, additional degrees of freedom of vertical mechanical movement of the tip cartridge 206 may be implemented to ensure perpendicularity between the liquid treatment device 202 and the tip cartridge 206.

All orientations and arrangements of components shown herein are used by way of example only. Further, one of ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate that in alternative embodiments, the functions of several elements may be performed by fewer elements or a single element. Similarly, in some embodiments, any functional element may perform fewer or different operations than those described with respect to the illustrated embodiments. In addition, different functional elements shown for illustration purposes may be combined within other functional elements in a particular embodiment.