System for automated treatment of fluids having successive and interchangeable process modules

US6942785B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

• Thomas Bayer · Igersheim, DE
• Klaus-Dieter Fiebelkorn · Niederlauterbach, FR
• Axel Gerlt · Ergolding, DE
• Joerg Hassel · Erlangen, DE
• Richard Mateman · Enschede, NL
• Arno Steckenborn · Berlin, DE
• Jeroen Mathijn Wissink · Enschede, NL

Key dates

• Filing date: Aug 13, 2003
• Grant date: Sep 13, 2005
• Expiry date: Aug 13, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T137/8225
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A system for automated treatment of fluids having interchangeable process modules (39, 40, 41, 42, 43), which are arranged next to each other, and which are respectively provided with a control unit and a fluid unit. The fluid unit is controlled by the control unit in order to carry out a module-specific process function during the treatment of the fluids. The control units are interconnected via a data bus (48), which is common to the process modules (39, 40, 41, 42, 43), and the fluid units are interconnected by a fluid bus (49) that has several channels. A fluid bus section is provided for at least one part of the channels inside each process module (e.g., 42). This section has fluid bus interfaces (52) at the ends thereof. A connection unit (51) is configured to be mounted between the respectively adjacent fluid bus interfaces (52) of two successive process modules (e.g., 41, 42) in at least two different mounting positions. The connection unit (51) connects channel sections that terminate at the adjacent fluid bus interfaces (52) of both process modules (41, 42) in a series of different configurations.